Full text of "Rambles round Horton: historical, topographical, and descriptive"

See other formats

mmm

mm:?'
Mm-:

SIS- ^ > J'.*

ambles Round H of

• '••Itili-l'll /('■■,;■ t' '

m.'

THE LIBRARY

THE UNIVERSITY

OF CALIFORNIA

LOS ANGELES

-v«--«-^

RAMBLES ROUND HORTON.

List of Illustrations.

PAGE

Horton Olcl Hall

Old Gateway, Chapel Lane

Octagon Chapel, Horton Road

The Old Skinhouse

Horton House

Horton Hall

"Old House at Home"

Old Corn Mill, Beckside i75

Brooksbank House ... ... ... ... ■■■ •• '79

Frontispiece

...

face

page

face

page

TOO

'45

%\oii.

Rambles Round Horton:

Historical, Topographical, and
Descriptive.

By WM. CUDWORTH,

Author of " Round About Bradford:;'' " Historical Xotcs on the
Bradford Corporation^' S^c.

Published ijv Subscription.

1 886.
liRAUFORD : THUS. BREAK & CO., Ll.MITEU.

\l'.iilered at StatiutuTs Hall. — ./// Kights Reserved^

H6C9

THIS VOLUME IS

DEDICATKD BV THE AUTHOR

FRANCIS SHARP POWELL, Esq., M.P.,

OF HORTON^OLD HALL,

IN REMEMBRANCE OF HIS KINDNESS

ON MANY OCCASIONS DURING

ITS PREPARATION.

borCcSo*^

PREFACE.

The Author would fain liopc that no apology is needed for the
publication of " Rambles Round Horton," albeit the interest of the
volume is of a comparatively limited character. Works of this nature
form the basis of local history, treating; as they do of " things great
and small.'' It may be that many of the items included appear
insignificant, but from the historian's standpoint they add completeness
to the whole, and are therefore deserving of notice.

Under any circumstances the Author had no alternative but to
issue the present work, such was the amount of interest evoked by
the publication of the " Rambles '" in the columns of the Bradford
Obscri'cr. In bringing them before the public in the present form, he
trusts that his patrons will not be dissatisfied with the result. No
effort has been spared to secure accuracy, although it is obvious that
accuracy cannot always be obtained even with the best intentions.

The Author has to acknowledge his indebtedness to many friends
for the facilities they have afforded him for obtaining information ;
to his former coadjutor, Mr. W. G. Hird, for his kind assistance
in the tedious task of indicing ; and to his numerous subscribers,
without whose support the work could not liave been undertaken.

The .\uthor purposes to continue his rambles round the town-
ships forming the Borough of 15radford, and to publish the account
thereof uniform with the present volume, should this literary venture
meet with favour.

January, 1886.

RAMBLES ROUND MORTON.

CHAPTER I.

Introductory — Boundaries — Streams — Roads — Conformation — Strata — Acreage —
Origin of Names — Lords of tlie Manor — Manorial Customs— Ancient Tenants
— Ancient Freeholders.

In olden times, when lords of manors enjoyed some
degree of feudal importance, the ceremony of perambulating
the boundaries of townships excited no small amount of
interest in local circles. The ceremony would appear to have
been of value, in so far as the feudal lord and his retainers took
note of whatever changes might have taken place within the
charmed circle they patrolled. In pursuing these " rambles,"
therefore, our immediate purpose will be to take note of the
old landmarks still remaining, and refer as far as possible to
some of their former inhabitants. In this wav a foundation
may be laid upon which a superstructure of township history
may be raised, of which, so far as the townships of the borough
of Bradford are concerned, no record exists. It will be
acknowledged that ample material exists for such a record.
Notwithstanding the common interest shared by all the
townships of Bradford, an individuality pervades each locality
which is sufficiently marked to justify individual reference
without attempting the larger task of collating the whole into
a history of the borough. Relieved from the necessity of
recording the more important events which would be necessary
in such a compilation, we can do greater justice to matters
often only slightly touched upon or altogether left unnoticed.

Following in the track of ancient custom, therefore,
we proceed to describe the boundaries of the township of
the Hortons, Great and Little, as they are defined by natural
lines of demarcation. The township is bounded on the west
by the stream that divides it from Clayton, called Tanner
Beck, which flows to Lower Lidget, and then through

2 Rambles Roimd H or ton.

Bulgrcavc Wood, when it becomes known as Bulgreavc Beck.
Flowing past Scholemoor Cemetery this beck joins the stream
called Middle-broke, upon which Sams Mill is situate. From
thence to the town of Bradford it is called the Bradford
Beck, and forms the northern boundary of the township of
Horton. On the cast the township is bounded by Bowling
Beck, and on the south by a portion of the township of North
Bierley. Another portion of North Bierley obtrudes upon
the south-east corner of Horton township, but if any modern
lord of the manor essayed a perambulation of the boundaries
he must needs wade through two Corporation reservoirs at
Horton Bank-top. In addition to the above there are
tributary streams rising in the township, although they are
none of them of great volume. A stream, having several
sources of supply near Cliffe Mill once fed the old corn mill
at Beckside, and meandering down to Shearbridge was called
Horton Beck. At Shearbridge the beck is joined by another,
formerly called Broad Beck, having its rise in fields adjoining
Horton Park.

The township boundaries formerly extended into Tyrrel
Street by a triangular piece of ground called Broadcroft, which
was appropriated by Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, and his
mother of unsavoury memory. Horton being a mesne manor
the lord thereof was not able to resist the encroachment,
although he succeeded in establishing his claim to a rent of
3s. per annum. The triangular plot was described by a
commission which sat in 1420 to determine as to the
continuance of the rental, as " a plot of land in the township
of Little Horton, lying within Bradford Brook, BolHng
Brook, Horton Kyrkgate {qy. Chapel Lane), and the Field of
Horton."

The principal roads in Horton township branch from
what was formerly called the town-end of ]3radford, and are
now known as Horton Lane, Horton Road, Manchester Road
(anciently Bowling Lane), and Legrams Lane. Manchester
Road only passes through a portion of the easterly side of
the township, and debouches into Bowling, whereas Horton
Lane and Horton Road thread the township until they leave
it, the former at Brownroyd Hill, Wibsey, and the latter

Rambles Round Horton. 3

at Clayton Heights on the old road to Halifax. Legrams
is an old packhorse road, having been an outlet from
Silsbridge Lane, joining the old road to Halifax by way of
Green Lane, Toby Lane, Scarr Lane, Upper Green, Dog
Lane, and what is still called the " old road " at Bank Top.

The hamlet of Lidget is also approached by Cemetery
Road (formerly Thiefscore Lane). The oldest highway
between Great and Little Horton is Southfield Lane, or
SoLithgate. There are also other connecting links, such as
Park Lane, Park Avenue, Laistridge Lane, Clayton Lane,
Holme Lane, Thornton Lane, Aycliffe Lane, Jer Lane,
Pickles Hill, Old Road, Hollingwood Lane, Cliffe Lane, and
"bridle-stiles," too numerous for mention. Examples of the
general character of these thoroughfares, useful during the
period when the principal means of transit was by packhorses,
existed in the road leading from Upper Green down Green-
field to Bracken Hill ; in the one from Leventhorpe through
Scholemoor by way of Foggs Lane to Horton ; and in that
leading from Thiefscore Bridge to Birks. The old road at
Horton Bank, formerly the main coach road between Bradford
and Halifax, is worth a visit if only to realise the contrast
between the description of highway which served our fore-
fathers and such thoroughfares as Park Avenue, for instance,
a specimen of modern construction.

The conformation of the Horton township is agreeably
diversified, the upper portion containing numerous eminences,
from which extensive views are obtainable. The highest
elevation is attained on the eminence known as Beacon Hill,
975 feet above the mean sea level. From this spot a
commanding prospect may be had, embracing the companion
beacons at Beamsley, Rawdon Billing, and Halifax, besides a
fine sweep of country south and cast. From Beldon Hill,
Haycliffe Hill, Crag Hill, Pickles Hill, and Brow Hill good
and varied views may also be obtained.

There is no moorland in Horton township, the only place
bearing even the name being Scholemoor. From ancient
documents, to which reference will subsequently be made, we
learn that this hamlet was formerly waste land. Within a
recent period, however, the only waste land was situate at

4 Rambles Round Horton.

Horton Green and in Southfield Lane — the site of the Old
Bell Chapel, for instance, and what are now called Upper and
Lower Green, These " greens " are numerous, including
Horton Green, Chapel Green, Low Green, Upper Green,
Lidget Green, and Paradise Green. They, however, furnish
no open spaces. Upon old maps what is called New England
land is marked, being chiefly in the vicinity of Southfield Lane.

Although the surface land of the township is pleasantly
undulated, it owes very little to the embellishment which a
well-wooded locality receives from nature. In the sheltered
valleys there are numerous trees, but not many of large growth,
the most thriving plantations being those around Horton
Grange, Bracken Hall, Springfield, and other residences, all of
which have been planted within a comparatively recent period.
As early as the year 1350 evidence exists that coal was found
and used in the township. This fact we learn from an extract
from the court rolls of the manor of Bradford, transcribed by
Mr. T. T. Empsall and contributed to the journal of the
Bradford Historical Society. In these rolls "Thomas del
Halghes complains that one John the Milner,of Mickle Horton,
had made divers wells in his land is search of carbones viarinos,
and that after taking away the coal he had left open the wells,
whereby the cattle of Thomas del Halghes had fallen in and
were drowned." Coal has also been extensively got on Beldon
Hill and upon the slopes of Haycliffe and Crag Hills.
Practically, however, the coal measures of Horton have now
become exhausted ; neither is stone obtained in large quantity.

The four principal landowners are Mr. J. A. Jowett,
of Bolton ; Mr. I^ S. Powell, of Horton Old Hall ; Mr.
Wm. Ramsden, of Bracken Hall; and Mr. Geo. Turner,
of Horton Grange. The manorial rights are held by Mr.
James Cousen and Miss Rawson, the latter claiming the
minerals and the former exercising a right over the
remainder of the manorial property, which is very small.
There are many small freeholders, which is accounted for
by the fact that the holdings in the manor from very early
times were granted in fee, subject only to military service and
nominal rents. The township comprises 2170 acres of land,
and is still nominally divided into the constabularies of Great

Rambles Round Norton. 5

and Little Horton, which until recently were defined by a
boundary line, drawn from Fieldhead Dyeworks to Shearbridge,
then following the course of the beck which runs through
Horton Park it proceeds forward to the top of Haycliffe Hill,
indicating the Horton wards of the borough. Since the
recent extension of the borough, however, the old boundaries
have been materially interfered with.

As to the origin of names found in the township we have
no striking derivations to offer. Horton probably gave its
name to the family which for generations held possessions
there, although resident elsewhere. Originally we may assume
that the " ton " or enclosure was situated upon the lower level,
but the exact site is left to conjecture. Shearbridge probably
obtained its name from the fact that there the streams,
" sheared " or separated before, came together, the brooks from
Beckside and Horton uniting in their onward course to
Westbrook. As to Laistridge Lane, it may be that the
immediate district forms the " least ridge " of the hills in the
vicinity. Hollingwood Lane evidently derives its name from
the holly bushes which once lined the neighbouring banks,
and the name is perpetuated in the title given to Holly Bank,
the residence of Mr. John Ramsden. Jer Lane is from
Jeremiah Holdsworth, a yeoman in that neighbourhood. A
former historian has jumped to the too ready conclusion
that Beldon Hill owes it name to very remote times. It
is not so. Beldon Hill is not the hill of Bael or Bel, but
of one William Beldon, who owned land there so recently
as 1800; while Pickles Hill has a similar origin. "Ewe
Clews" is of less satisfactory explanation, as the place is
variously styled Ewe, Yew, How, Hew, and High. It may
have have been an inclosure for sheep, or a plantation of
yew trees, or have taken its name from the clew or clough
of the water-mill situate hard by. The name " Thiefscore "
arouses unpleasant doubts as to the morality of the
neighbourhood, but there is a Paradise in the township,
which may be taken as a set-off Many other possible
derivations may be suggested as we patrol the township,
but before doing this we must glance at the ancient history
of the place.

6 Rambles Round Norton.

From Domesday Book, that source of historic information
to which the historian first turns, we learn that from the
eadiest times Horton formed a hamlet dependent on the
manor of Bradford. The first man of consequence named in
connection with the place was Robert de Stapleton, who is
mentioned as living in the reign of Henry II. (1154-89). His
son Hugh, who took the name of Horton, received from
Robert de Lacy, the lord of the manor of Bradford, a grant
of land extending to the very verge of the town, showing
that he must have been in considerable fa^^our with his
superior lord. The land remained in the Horton family
until the reign of Edward I., Vv'hen Hugh dying without male
issue it descended to his daughter, who had married Wm.
Leventhorp. He was the head of the ancient family deriving
their name from Leventhorp or Lenthrop, in Thornton
township. In the reign of Henry VII. the manor of Horton
passed into the hands of the Lacies of Cromwellbotham (a
secondary branch of the greater Lacies), by the marriage of
John Lacy with Alice Leventhorpe. The Hortons had by
this time settled at Barkisland, in Halifax parish, and in
1639 William Horton, of Firth House, purchased the
Howroyde estate, whose family have been in possession of to
the .present time, the present owner of Howroyde and the
representative of the Horton family being Capt. Joshua
Thomas Horton, J. P. In 1640, Joshua Horton, of Sowerby,
a member of a junior branch of the Horton family,
repurchased the manor of Horton formerly belonging to his
ancestors, along with that of Thornton. His son Elkanah,
a barrister, who died in 1728, lived at Thornton Hall.
Thomas Horton, the grandson of Joshua of Sowerby, resided
at Chadderton, near Manchester, which had been purchased
by his father, and was Deputy-Governor of the Isle of Man.
His eldest son, William, was made a baronet, and the present
owner of Howroyde is the twice great grandson of Sir W.
Horton's younger brother, Joshua Thomas. It is said that
the Hortons, while lords of the manor, had in ancient days a
manor house a little to the east of Great Horton, the site of
which has been since known as Hall Yard, but there is no
evidence in support of the tradition beyond the name.

Rambles Round Morton. 7

The recent ownership of the manor of Horton may be
recorded in few words. From Joshua Horton the manorial
estate came to his descendant, Sir Watts Horton, of
Chadderton, through his father. Sir William Horton. Sir
Watts married Lady Henrietta Stanley, whose daughter,
Henrietta Susanna, married Charles Rees, of Liverpool, who
altered his name to Rhyss, and of the marriage came two sons
and four daughters. Dame Henrietta died in 1827, leaving as
her heir, Charles Horton Rhyss, who then came into possession
of the manorial and other property of the Horton family.
This gentleman led a somewhat erratic life, being a captain
in the army, and for many years a comedian, acting under
the nam dc plume of "Morton Price." Upon several occasions
he occupied Bradford theatres under that name, but was
generally in the United States and Canada.

In October, 1858, he caused the manorial property to
be sold by auction, when Mr. Wm. Cousen purchased
the lordship of Horton, with hereditaments, &c., thereto
belonging, comprising a messuage known as the Manor
House, a cottage, the pinfold, &c., and also the fee farm rents,
generally called "Lord's rents," which realised £,\2 ys. 8d.
per annum. His son, Mr. James Cousen, is the present lord
of the manor. Dracup's trustees purchased the old corn mill
and water rights connected therewith, occupied by John
Beanland, and comprising the dam field, West Croft, &c.

Much might be stated as to the manor of Horton which
cannot be admitted here. But this may be observed, that
whilst Bowling, for instance, was a mesne manor like Horton,
yet none of the tenants of the former acknowledged as chief
only the lord of Boiling, who himself, for all, did suit to the
Lacies. The manor of Horton was practically independent
while the tenants named held directly of the manor of
Bradford. It is an anomaly which needs further explanation.

Before completing the story of the manorial succession,
however, we may again make reference to the old Manor
Court records as transcribed by Mr, Empsall, with the view
of forming an estimate of the population of Horton during
those early times. For this purpose the surveys made at the
instance of the Lacy family afford some data, although to a

8 Rambles Round Horton.

large extent the township had been alienated from the Lacy-
fee, and was enjoyed by the Horton family. In the survey of
1342 only ten tenants of the Lacies are named, and they all
belonged to the class of tenantry called " freemen," persons
who had emancipated themselves from serfdom and had
become possessed of land as customary tenants, i.e., copyhold
tenure. For their holdings they rendered certain services
in the manor courts. Several of the tenants occupied
an exceptional position, and of these was Roger de
Manningham, who held a messuage and two bovates of
land (about 16 acre.s) by the service of "going with his lord
to Blackburnshire (of which they were lords) with a lance
and a dog for forty days to hunt wild boars, receiving i^^d. a
day wages, also to be ready and willing to appear yearly at
Bradford at the feast of St. Martin if required, to do suit of
court at Bradford every three weeks, and give to the lord 3d.
at the time of the Invention of the Holy Cross, in lieu of the
work of one plough, and at seed time is. 4d. annually for his
freedom." Thomas de Northrop, one of the Manningham
tenants, had to render to the chief identical service with that
of de Manningham in accompanying the lord in his journeys
into Lancashire. But Northrop had six bovates of land, or
about fifty acres, and three messuages, which were burdened
on succession with heriots in the shape of the best beast in
the herd to the lord. He had also to pay 8d. annually, in
lieu of farm labour at seed time.

The Abbot of Kirkstall also held about forty acres of
land in this township, by the gift of a pair of white spurs.
The land in question was, after the dissolution of the
monasteries, acquired by Richard Lyster, who, in addition to
the spurs, rendered military service. But by an inquisition
post moi'teni., 2nd Ed. VI., he held more than the abbots did,
and it may be the extra land which imposed the latter
burden. This land was held by the same tenure for several
centuries, and was doubtless situate in Thornton Lane,
extending to Burnet Field, in Bowling. William le Maisson
held two bovates and a messuage, for which he tendered a
ploughshare yearly to the lord on his coming to Bradford at
the feast of St. Martin, and performed service of court every

Rambles Round H or ton. 9

three weeks. Brian dc Thornhill held a piece of land, for
which he paid 2s. annually.

The remaining seven tenants of Horton held their
allotments by foreign military service at the command of
their lord. They also paid a rent varying from i^d. to 4d.
per acre, and i|d each per bovate instead of ploughing in
spring. Hugh de Rochdale, one of them, for instance, held a
messuage and two bovates of land, which was called the i6th
part of a knight's fee, paying 2s. yearly for the land, and 3d.
instead of labour, while William le Roy paid 6s. 6d. for a
messuage and \\ bovates, and 2\di. instead of ploughing, and
all other service similar to that rendered by Hugh,

Another source from which we may gather information
as to the inhabitants of Horton during the fourteenth century
is the lay subsidy or poll-tax of 2nd of Richard H. (1379).
The list is as follows : —

Thos. filius Rogeri, mercator. & uxor

Ricardus de Skircote & uxor

Rogerus filius Rogeri & uxor

Thos. del Bryg & uxor

Willelmus Leman & uxor

Johannes de Wodehale & uxor ...

Thos. filius Gilberti & uxor

Johannes filius Ade «& uxor

Thos. Machon & uxor

Wilhelmus filius Robert! & uxor ...
Wilhelmus Hawmerode & uxor ...

Thos. Gabriel & uxor

Thomas Hunsselet & uxor

Johannes de Holyns & uxor

Johannes de Newall & uxor

Wilhelmus de Hawmonrode &: uxor

Thos. filius Wilhelmi & u.xor

Alicia filia Rogeri

Annabella Leman

Alicia filia Johannis

Agnes filia Johannis

Eva Machon

Johannis Sementhorn

Johannis de Bryg

xijd.
iiijd.
iiijd.
iiijd.
iiijd.
iiijd.
iiijd.
iiijd.
iiijd.
iiijd.
iiijd.
iiijd.
iiijd.
iiijd.
iiijd.
iiijd.
iiijd.
iiijd.
iiijd.
iiijd.
iiijd.
iiijd.
iiijd.
iiijd.

Summa, viijs. viijd

10 Rambles Round Horton.

The list is copied verbatim, retaining the ancient form of spel-
Hng, and the amounts at which the inhabitants were assessed.
Here, again, is a singular anomaly, not one of the military
tenants of Horton named in the survey of 1342 occurring in
the poll-tax list. Could it be that this class of tenants were
exempt from this tax on account of their military service .''
It was the levying of this poll-tax which exasperated the
populace to rise in rebellion under Wat Tyler. The total
amount of the taxation raised, it will be seen, was 8s. 8d.
Only one inhabitant at that period ranked as a merchant, and
the amount extracted from him and his wife was I2d. The
remainder were all of the humblest class of householders,
and paid 4d. (a groat) each couple, a similar amount being
apparently exacted from the single persons. Young persons
under sixteen and persons in a state of mendicancy were
exempted. While from these causes we are not able to
number the population of Horton at that time, we can at
least compare its standing with other places. Halifax, for
instance, only raised 12s. 8d., and Bradford 23s., the tradesmen
in the latter place being a fuller, a mason, two tailors, two
shoemakers, and three innkeepers.

In only a few cases in the above list does there appear
any semblance to existing Horton nomenclature. It would
appear to have been generally deemed sufficient to distinguish
a Hortonian by describing him as the son of his father, a like
rule applying to the females. A similar custom still prevails
in alluding to a person as Bob o' Doads o' Sams. In other
instances it is evident that the Christian name was associated
with that of the place whence the person came, as Richard of
Skircoat, John of Newhall, and John of Woodhall. The
Brygs and Hawmonrodes and Holyns are easy of identification
with names still existing in the township, although in some-
what disguised forms, as in the case of the descendants of
the Hawmonrodes, who are now known as Hammonds and
Ormanroyds. The Christian names of William, Thomas, and
John were evidently as common five hundred years ago as at
the present day.

The following list of Horton freeholders, taken from the
subsidy roll of 1608, which is preserved at Howroyd, confirms

Rambles Rottnd Horton.

families of

the period

Assessed.

raid.

... xxxs.

iiijs.

xxs.

ijs. viijd.

xxs.

ijs. viijd.

xxs.

ijs. viijd.

xxs.

ijs. viijd.

xxs.

ijs. viijd.

xxs.

ijs. viijd.

xxs.

ijs. viijd.

xxs.

ijs. viijd.

xxs.

ijs. viijd.

xxs.

ijs. viijd.

our impressions as to the principal families of the period. It

is as follows : —

Robertus Boothe, in lands
Thos. Sharp, jun.
Thos. Sharp, sen.

John Lyster

Georgius Holdsworth...
Will'ms Mortimer

John Feild

Johannes Nicholls
Gilbertus Brooksbank
Chrste'rus Swayne
John Sharp

Summa vill, xxxs. viijd.
Advancin"" a couple of centuries we are able from other
sources to estimate with tolerable accuracy the material
importance of the township of Horton, if not the number of
its inhabitants. In Sir John Maynard's valuation of the
tythes of Bradford parish, taken in 1638, the two Hortons
are put down as valued at ^^603 os. 6d. In this township the
tythes were reckoned by oxgangs (or as much land as an ox
could plough in a season^, an oxgang containing, one with
another, about ten acres, and the tythe of an oxgang was
valued at £'/. In Great Horton the principal contributor
was Gilbert Brooksbank, who paid ;^35 on five oxgangs of
land ; John Mortimer, of Scholcmoor, ;^2i on three oxgangs ;
Widow Holyns and Jonas Hammond, on two oxgangs ; \Vm.
Mortimer, three oxgangs ; John Booth, five and a-third. In
Little Horton the principal contributors were John Sharp,
jun., four oxgangs ; Jolin Sharp, sen., two and three-quarter
oxgangs ; John Lister, " who pretends his land is tythe free
because of the Cistercian Order, yet pays tythe in kind to Sir
Richard Tempest" (of whom or through whom he probably
obtained it. Tempest and others having secured large
quantities of abbey lands at the dissolution), three and
a-half oxgangs ; William Walker, two and a-third oxgangs ;
Thomas Swaine, two oxgangs ; William Booth, two oxgangs ;
Samuel Swaine, one and three-quarter oxgangs ; Thomas
Balme, the eighteenth part of an oxgang, which was valued
as one.

12 Rambles Round Horton.

What was called hearth-money or the hearth-tax was a
levy upon all householders according to the number of their
fires. It was originally established by William the Conqueror,
and was continued under Parliamentary sanction by Charles II.,
but the impost was abolished under William and Mary. In
the collection of this tax for the year 1666 we find the names
of the following residents of Great and Little Horton, who
were the most substantial people of the period, viz.: — Isaac
Sharpe, five hearths ; John Sharpe, seven ; Thomas Swaine,
three; Abm. Swaine, two; Robert Swaine, two; Joseph
Lister, four ; Andrew Hodgson, four ; Thos. Pighles, four ;
Wm. Mortimer, four; Richard Thornton, three; Mary Mortimer,
four ; Gilbert Brooksbank, two ; Will Hammond, three. The
total number of hearths paid for in the township was 208,
James Swaine being constable during the collection. The
complete list of householders would have been interesting had
space permitted of it being given. As compared with the
township of Bradford, however, Horton appears to have stood
well ; Bradford East having had 206, and Bradford West 301
hearths taxed.

The land and property tax of 1704 contains a more
complete list of owners of land and buildings at that period
than can be obtained from any other source, and from it we
cull the following particulars of the principal persons assessed
in Horton. The tax was at the rate of 4s. in the pound, and
was levied by order of Parliament in aid of the State. The
list is as follows : —

Gilbert Brooksbank —

Wm. Mortimer

For self and Booth's

Isaac Rollings

land

Thos. Hodgson

Scholemoor land ...

Jas. Hall

Nichols' land

Thos. Pighills

Westcroft and

Wm. Blackburn

Healds

John Ashton

io|

Sugden's land

Robert Fo.x, for ye

Hammond's land...

io\

milne

Cockroyd's

Rich. Thornton

Jas. Swaine's land..

io|

Abm. Swaine, How

Jewitt's land

io|

Clews

Sarah Brooksbank

Henry Lancaster ...

Rambles Round Norton.

Robt. Swaine, Hunt

Chris. Swaine

Yard

• . •

Jer. Roods

Jonas Hopkinson

Lionel Knowlcs

Win. Mortimer

Abram Balme

Thos. Swaine ...

• ■ •

Mr. Wm Swaine ...

Mr. Wm. Rawson,

for

Thos. Ferrand

cole mine

John Bower

Mrs. Sharp

. . •

Mr. Rawson, for

John Lister

tythe

Joshua Stansfield

Mr. Horton, for his

Isaac Sharp

• . •

Lord's Rent ... ...

Abm. Jewitt

• . •

Mary Thornton

■ . ■

Total for the

Wm. Blaymires

...

township... £

too

Chrisr. Swaine, ) ,

THOS. Swaine, [ Assessors.

Bartholc
James Ha

)mew Lancaster, ) ^ „

^ ^ T i Collectors

LL, Jun., S

14 Rambles Round Horton.

CHAPTER II.

Surveys of 1802 and i839^Parochial Matters — Horton Constables — Overseers — Old
Workhouse — Highway Surveyors — Highway Board— Horton Councillors.

We have before us the plan of Great and Little Horton,
the result of a survey made " by order of the inhabitants " in
1802, by William Basset, land surveyor. It contains references
to the owners of every plot of land and field in the township
at tJiat period, and for the purposes we have in view is a
most valuable record. We append a list of the principal
landowners at the period in question, as follows : — Messrs.
F. S. Bridges, Richard Hodgson, Charles S. B. Sharp, Joseph
Stocks, Mrs. Lister, Mary Brooksbank, Mrs. Hodsden, Mr.
Gorton, Miss Bower, Wm. Blamires, J. Blamires' trustees,
John Booth, Gregory Fox, Susannah Swaine, James Swaine,
Mr. Holden, Pollard & Co., Jarratt & Co., Jacob Hudson's
trustees, Mrs. llutton's trustees, John Balme, Jeremiah
Thornton, John Tommis, William Beldon, and Jonas Jowett.

A survey was also made by Mr. Samuel Wormald, of
Beeston, in 1839, including a valuation of the township, from
which it appears that the total area was 1935 acres, and the
ratable value ^^32,7 11. The principal land and property
owners at that period were Francis Sharp Bridges, Miss
Jowett, Ellis Cunliffe Lister, Mrs. Ann Giles, Colonel
Fitzgerald, Messrs. Hird, Dawson & Hardy, Thos. B.
Charnock, John Bower, Charles, Henry, and Alfred Harris,-
John and William Rand, Samuel and VVm. Blamires, Joseph
Beanland's trustees, John Hustler, William Fox, Dracup's
trustees, John Haley, Eli Suddards, Watson Cryer, Hudson's
trustees, John Crook, I'rancis Ackroyd, Robert Stables
Ackroyd, Nathan Bentley, John Blackburn, John and Squire
Stowell, John Jennings, and Daniel Armitage,

The absence of any town's books or connected records
of township business seriously interferes with the work of
the historian, and, in respect to the township of Horton,
practically results in our being obliged to leave the period

Rambles Round Morton. 15

prior to tlie present century almost a blank so far as parochial
matters are concerned. After all, the omission may be
imaginatively supplied by a knowledge of the routine
of township government and township affairs in similar
places. Horton would in the " olden time," we presume,
be governed upon the most economical principles, its
inhabitants expending as much upon the repair of roads
and the salaries of its parochial officers as was consistent
with a small highway rate, and no more — the burden of an
additional penny in the pound upon a ratal valuation being
as intolerable to Hortonian ratepayers as to those in any
other part of the country.

The township officially managed its own affairs from a
central point of inspiration, namely, the parish vestry, at
which place all meetings affecting town's business were
held, and where all appointments were officially made.
Presumably, too, there would during each generation be
a coterie of townsmen who, except they were more than
ordinarily virtuous, worked for each other's benefit quite as
much as for that of the township. Although these parochial
patriots rendered service without recognised fee or reward
so far as salary was concerned, tradition has it that the
weekly dinners at Lidget Green were looked upon as some
recompense, and were relinquished only after strong protests
made by unprivileged ratepayers, whose notions of patriotic
service failed to accord with such " guzzling " at the town's
expense.

As already stated, the township of Horton is still
nominally divided into the constabularies of Great and Little
Horton, but practically into wards for municipal purposes.
Prior to the advent of the Corporation, the jurisdiction of
the old Lighting and Watching Commissioners of Bradford
extended to " part of the hamlet of Little Horton," which,
however, only included a very small portion of the hamlet,
namely, that lying near to the junction of Manchester Road^
Horton Lane, and Horton Road. The larger portion of the
township, therefore, was managed as previously described, and
left in darkness. It was left to the enterprise of the trustees
of the Wesleyan Chapel to introduce gas into Great Horton,

16 Rambles Round Horton.

which they did for the purpose of lighting the chapel. It
was soon afterwards made at Cousen's Mill, and at some
other manufacturing establishments, until the Corporation
ventured to assume that probably Great Horton might be
a profitable customer, and carried gas mains to the place.

For highway purposes Great and Little Horton were
divided, but in the administration of the Poor Law the
township was united as at present. Once a year town's
meetings were held at the vestry of the Bell Chapel, at
which highway surveyors, churchwardens, overseers, and
constables were appointed and a rate was laid, an occasion
sufficiently exciting to arouse whatever local enthusiasm was
existent. Bell Chapel, however, was only erected in 1808,
and prior to that period parochial officers were elected at the
parish vestry at Bradford. Among the earliest churchwardens
whose names we have met with were Thomas Hodgson and
Ezra Thornton, wardens for Great and Little Hortons in
1765 ; Samuel Swaine, Legrams, being overseer for the same
year. Jos. Beanland, cornmiller, was the first churchwarden
at the Bell Chapel, and held that office for many years,
Messrs. Samuel and Richard Lumby also filling the office.

Horton constables of the manor of Bradford were also
appointed at the " Court Leet," held for the purpose at
Bradford, and of these a tolerable record is preserved, but
we must be content with mentioning those holding office for
the following years, viz. : — Gregory Fox, constable for 1795,
Joshua Stanfield deputy; Samuel Lumby, constable for 1820,
Francis Ackroyd, deputy ; 1822, Joseph Barrans, Little
Horton ; Thomas Ramsden, Great Horton ; 1827, Wm.
Blamires, Great Horton ; Wm. Cass, Little Horton ; 1832,
Dan Haley, Great Horton ; John Stowell, Little Horton.
As a rule, there were one chief constable and two deputies,
and among the more recent chiefs were Wm. Swaine, Cowling
Ackroyd, John Smith, Joseph Bakes, &c., and of the deputies
Thomas Carter, John Haley, and John Liversedge. John
Clough was bellman at Great Horton for several years, but
was forcibly deprived by having the bell taken from him by
Cowling Ackroyd and John Smith in 1839, for announcing
a Chartist meeting. The inhabitants, indignant at such

Rambles Round Hortori. 17

conduct, subscribed for another bell, and presented it to
him to be used for all purposes. The town's bell was given
to Samuel Fieldhouse, who held it for several years, and
was succeeded by George Storey, who was for many years
court-leet constable, bellman, and pinder for Great Horton.
The office of court-leet constable is now inoperative, owing to
the introduction of the borough police, but the appointment
is still made at the Manor Court of the Honour of Pontcfract,
held yearly at the Market Tavern, Bradford, Mr. Wm.
Greaves, solicitor, bcHng steward and judge.

The administration of relief to the poor of Horton,
happily never an arduous task, was effected during the
early years of the century by a small, if not practicall}'
self-elected body, comprising amongst its number John
Jennings, Wm. Blamires, Isaac Clough, Dan Booth, Richard
and Sammy Lumb}', and John Sm.ith, with Abraham l?alme,
of Horton Green, as assistant-overseer and rate collector.
This body met once a week to dispense the poor relief, the
workhouse then being in the grounds now constituting Horton
Park. Tom Carter, who was also a cow doctor and dentist,
was the first workhouse master of whom we have any record.
It is said that his practice of dentistry was attended with
unpleasant effects upon some of the unfortunate inmates
under his charge ! Jeremy Haley succeeded Carter, and
gathered the rates as well ; and he was followed by Dan
Booth and Wm. Marshall. At that period there were only
nine or ten inmates of the " house."

The old workhouse was taken down about the year 1822,
soon after the removal of the institution to a building now
standing at Horton Green, which was erected for the purpose
by the overseers of the township. The workhouse property at
Great Horton having been purchased by Mr. Noble, a cloth
merchant, of Leeds, for his son, Mr. Ed. Noble, the latter
erected the residence now standing in Horton park, which he
styled W'ellclose House. He also planted the ^q\\ old trees
remaining in the park, and built a tower or bath-house over
the cold spring of water, one of three springs known as the
" tea well," the " bath well," and the " workhouse well," the
latter having been used for bathing the paupers. Succeeding

18 Rambles Round Hortoji.

tenants of Wellclose House have been Mr. Richard Denton,
who Hved in it a long time, and Mr. Edwin Bentley.

The Bradford Union was constituted under the New
Poor Law in Feb., 1837, and comprised among its twenty
townships that of Horton, Mr. Abraham Balme being
assistant-overseer. On Mr. Bahne's retirement in 1839 Mr.
Thos. Myers obtained the appointment to his office, and soon
afterwards Mr. Jonas Jennings was made reheving officer,
a position which he held for many years. In August,
1848, the Bradford Poor-law Union was divided, and the
townships of the borough, viz., Bradford, Bowling, Horton,
and Manningham, were formed into one union, and what is
now known as the North Bierley Union into another. In the
same year Mr, Myers, being wishful of being relieved from
the duty of collecting the poor rates, gave up £^0 of his
salary towards the stipend of an assistant, and Mr. Benjamin
Crabtree was appointed to the office. Mr. Richard Poole is
the present assistant-overseer. The Bradford workhouse,
which js in Horton township, is situated in an enclosure
comprising about fourteen acres of land, and was erected
in 185 1-2, at a cost of i^i 1,000. It has since been enlarged
at a further cost of ;^i6,ooo; thus, with the value of the site,
the workhouse represents Union property worth ;i^32,ooo. It
has accommodation for 1000 inmates.

The records of the transactions of the highway surveyors
are scarcely more ample than those relating to other parochial
matters until we reach the period when the Board of Highway
Surveyors was constituted. In the year 1840, at a meeting
held at the old Bell Chapel, Messrs. Samuel Lumby,
Scholemoor ; John Jennings, Low Close House ; Thomas
Ramsden, High Street ; Joseph Waterhouse, Bank Top ;
Samuel Dracup, Pickles Lane ; Wm. Bakes, jun., Horton
Road ; and Robert Shepherd, Southgate, were appointed
a board for the repair of the highways of Great Horton.
At the same time Jeremiah Briggs was appointed acting
surveyor. The first meeting was held at the Fleece Inn,
kept by Wm. Bakes, the site of which is now occupied by
the Congregational Schools, and the next meeting was held
at the George and Uragon, the custom being to patronise

Rambles Roinni H or ton. 19

the several " pubs " in the district in strict rotation. Ahnost
the first item recorded in the proceedings for the year 1S40
has reference to a matter which is still remembered as
furnishing material for much angry disputation at the time
it took place, namely, the question of the repair of Beldon
Hill Road. In the minutes of the meeting of the Highway
Board on June ist we read : —

" That an appeal against the items expended on the Beldon Hill
Road, and entered in the late Surveyor's accounts, be entered and
prosecuted at the ensuing sessions to be held at Bradford, we the said
Board not acknowledging the aforesaid road as belonging to the
township, it liaving never been repaired at the expense of the township
previously." Moved by Thomas Ramsden, and seconded by Samuel
Lumby, and carried unanimously, " That Mr. Cowling Ackroyd and
Mr. Nathan Bentley be appointed by this Board to enter and prosecute
the aforesaid appeal at the ensuing sessions."

It appears that the road at Beldon Hill was, prior to
1840, in a very disreputable condition— almost impassable,
or, as the old inhabitants describe it, " up tut knav i' muck "
It so fell out, however, that Abraham Bairstow, of Hill
End, was appointed surveyor, and, having some grounds for
deeming the township liable to its repair, or else considering
the existing state of things a reproach to the neighbourhood,
he determined to exercise his authority as surveyor in the
interest of the dwellers and frequenters of the uplands of
Beldon Hill. Accordingly he put the road into a tolerable
state of repair, rendering due account to the local authority.
This course of the surveyor was stoutly resisted by the
Board, representing for the most part those ratepayers who
scarcely ever ascended to Beldon Hill, and led to the appeal
referred to in the minute. Bairstow, however, resisted the
appeal, and won the case ; but even this did not appease
the "Lords of Horton," who carried the case to the Court
of Queen's Bench, compelling the patriotic surveyor to follow
and maintain his cause. This he did principal)}- at his own
cost, and again came off triumphantly, but it is said that the
drain upon his resources was such as to reduce him in worldly
position — a circumstance not altogether to the credit of his
neighbours, for whom he had waged and won a substantial
point. At any rate, Beldon Hill Road, and Jer Lane as well.

20 Rambles Round H or ton.

have been repaired at the public expense ever since Bairstow's
victory, and are now in tolerable condition.

At a meeting of the Highway Board held in March,
1 84 1, Thomas Myers was appointed clerk and treasurer of
the Board without salary, Samuel Harrison being elected
collector at a salary of ;^io per annum, and Samuel Lumby
overseer of the road-men. The highway rate for that period
was 7d. in the pound. This arrangement continued until
March, 1846, when Alfred Hind Denton was elected clerk
at a salary of £2 per annum, and Wm. Keighley acting
surveyor and treasurer, Samuel Harrison continuing his office
of collector. The members of the Board had also undergone
revision during the interval, Messrs. Richard Denton, Jos.
Hirst, Wm. Keighley, David Mortimer, Chas. Bennett, John
Parker, and Henry Sagar being the members for 1846, and
Mr. Richard Denton chairman. We also meet with the
several names of Nathan Bentley, Luke Blamires, William
Keighley, William Fox, sen., David Mortimer, and William
Moorhouse as having held the office. In April, 1847, "for
certain considerations" understood between Mr. Horsfall, of the
Mansion House, and the Board, that gentleman was allowed
to enclose the plot of ground near his residence, then used as
a dross-hill, and which was originally taken from the waste.

At the annual meeting held for the re-election of the
Highway Board in March, 1849, something approaching to a
" row " appears to have taken place, one section present
being evidently determined to oust the members previously
holding office and to substitute others. No less than four
names were submitted for the office of chairman, but
ultimately Mr. Wm. Buckle was elected ; and a motion was
proposed that the old members, viz., Messrs. John Wade,
John Burrows, William Burrows, Jonathan Emsley, Samuel
Wood, William Murgatroyd, Daniel Dracup, Dan Haley, John
Bastow, Jeremiah Rudd, and William Moorhouse constitute
the Board for the ensuing year. Wheireupon a counter-list of
names was submitted, containing those of Thomas Cockroft,
Edwin Bentley, Luke Blamires, Job Robertshaw, Samuel
Denton, William l^uckle, John Jennings, and William Cousen.
The old members, however, were carried by a large majority,

Ra)]iblcs Round Hortoii. 21

and at the subsequent meeting of the Board the following
officers were appointed : — Chairman, John Wade ; treasurer,
William Moorhouse ; collector, George I.aycock.

The books from which we derive this information give
little more than the ordinary formal resolutions confirming
what the surveyor might have done during the preceding
month, such as the laying of a causeway or the removal of a
rubbish heap. Neither do the account books offer much of
interest, the following being the usual form of presenting the
accounts. The period covered is for the year 1 849 : — •

I s d.
Faid for day labour 83 13 9

„ Contract work 85 i i

„ Materials 78 411

,, Teamwork 49 18 9

„ Bills 68 12 5

„ Incidentals 487

Total expenditure for the year

i^368 19 7

This amount was raised in great part by the proceeds
of a highway rate of lod. in the pound, which realised
^^304 13s. dgd., and by other small sums. At this period
the Bradford Corporation had existed over two years, and
Horton returned its councillors, but still the townships of the
borough exercised control over their own highways, and, as it
appears, levied rates for their maintenance. The anomaly,
however, was removed by the passing of the Bradford
Improvement Act of 1850, and by the enforcement of that
Act the Board of Surveyors of Horton, as well as those of
the other townships, was disestablished. The last meeting
of the Board was held at the Four Ashes Inn, kept by Mr.
Jeremiah Rudd, on the 3rd of March, 185 1, there being
present John Wade, chairman, Jeremiah Rudd, Saml. Wood,
Wm. Moorhouse, Dan Haley, John Bairstow, W^m. Burrows,
and William Murgatroyd. It may be stated parenthetically
that a similar authority existed for Little Horton, of which
Wm. Cass was surveyor, and Wm. Holdsworth collector. At
a more recent date Isaac Rowntrce officiated as highway
surveyor of Little Horton, and was taken into the service
of the Corporation.

•22 Rambles Round Norton.

The Bradford Corporation was established in 1847, when
the Horton townships was divided into two wards, three
councillors being allotted to Great Horton and six to the
Little Horton Ward, which had become very populous. The
first burgess list of the borough comprised 5457 names, of
which number Great Horton Ward had 536 and Little
Horton 1206. The result of the first election of councillors
invested the following Hortonians with municipal dignity,
viz. : — Great Horton — Messrs. John Bartle, Wm. Buckle, and
John Clough. Little Horton — Samuel Bottomley, James
Bilton, John Clayton, John Hill, scale-beam maker, John
Hill, maltster, and Samuel Smith. Hot contests ensued upon
many subsequent occasions, especially in the Great Horton
section of the township, but for years this ward has been
practically given over to the Liberal party, so ardent in the
Liberal cause being the majority of the inhabitants that
active canvassers are in the habit of saying that Liberal
voters may be counted by the house-row. Li the Little
Horton Ward the honours have been more equally divided.

Rambles Round Norton. 23

CIIAPTKR III.

The "Good Old I'imes "— The Early Clothiers— A ''Pot u' I'our" — Primitive
Habits--The Cliarti.sl Movement — The " Phig Riots"— The Cctlon Manufacture —
The Worsted Industry.

The antecedents of any community are not unfreciucntly
reflected in the sayings and doings of the generations which
follow, and so it has been in Horton. By this general term,
however, we must be understood to mean suburban Horton,
as distinguished from that portion of the town.'^hip which is
being rapidly absorbed in the great borough, and by the
overgrowth of which its once pleasant fields are being covered
with dwellings inhabited by people gathered from all quarters
of the kingdom. The overwhelming process is not yet
complete, however, and there still remains an element
strongly Hortonian, in which may be found the characteristics
distinguishing those who peopled the villages which were
dotted here and there in the Bradford-dale of a past age.

In one important feature the villagers of Florton have
maintained an honourable position, morally and socially. It
is rare to see a drunken man in the Horton of which we
speak. The people are thrifty and of a "saving" turn,
without denying themselves the comforts of life ; police
regulations are almost superfluous ; and in regard to material
wealth, there are probably a larger number of small free-
holders in Horton than in the majorit}- of townships in the
West Riding. In the various political struggles of the present
century Hortonians have generally been to the fore, and
many a veteran has suffered imprisonment for his zeal in
political warfare.

We have, however, to deal with a period long anterior to
this present age of school boards, commercial activity, and
cheap bread — to a time when the two hamlets of Horton had
undergone little change in their appearance for generations,
with the exception of the erection now and again of an
additional barn to receive the produce from a gradually
extended cultivation of the surrounding uplands, or the

24 Rivnbles Round Norton.

rearing of a few one-storeyed dwellings for the young
married men or labourers employed. At that time the
processes of farming and of manufacturing, whether of cloth
or other fabrics, went hand in hand — in one case the
employers being styled "clothiers" and in the other "stuff
makers." These manufacturers, as they may be termed,
generally farmed their own small estates, and occupied them-
selves and their families alternately with the mixed labour
of tilling their limited acres and in combing, spinning,
carding, and weaving. In a large measure these old-time
" manufacturers " spent a life of happiness and ended their
da}'s in honcrurable ease. Their indoor labours were at their
own firesides ; they had no factory bell to obey ; if so
disposed (which was not often the case) they could lie in bed
an extra hour in the morning or take a stroll during the
daytime, and while the father and his sons were engaged in
sorting, combing, or weaving, the matronly dame and her
daughters under her care and eye were busily engaged in
spinning and reeling.

A pleasant picture this, but as time went on and the
process of manufacture extended to a class who were not
"master men" but were employed by others, the conditions of
life were not of a character quite so pleasant as those
described. Old Hortonians tell of a time when wool was
brought about once a month from Leeds and other places
to Horton, Clayton, Allerton, and other villages in Bradford-
dale to be carded, combed, and spun, the day of the arrival
being held in festive celebrations, as on those occasions a
" drop o' short" generally found its way into the villages. In
summer-time the women took out their spinning wheels to
the village green and upon the hillsides, v.hich then were
waste lands abounding with yellow furze and purple heather,
interspersed with huge boulders. When the women had got
a pound of wool from a neighbouring farmer it was spun into
" cops," then reeled into hanks and carried back to " t'maister,"
who gave it out in the hank to the hand-loom weaver, who in
turn had to spin it on to bobbins before weaving. A girl of
fourteen or fifteen years would spin about ten hanks a-day,
which would amount to less than sixpence. Nearly every

Rambles Round H or ton. 25

farmer had a comb-pot and employed a comber or two ; if he
was the possessor of a " pot o' four " and a pair of looms he
was in a large way of business. The class of goods made
were called "calimancoes," and were from i6in. to ipin. broad,
the weaver throwing the shuttle with one hand, catching it
with the other, and throwing it back again. The warp and
weft at that time were rougher than the roughest spun yarn
of the present day. As a consequence, many long hairs
protruded from the piece when completed, and these were
removed by the process of singeing, performed by a man who
went about with a piece of wood about the breadth of the
warp, in which candles were placed at intervals.

As the processes of manufacture were of the most
primitive kind, so were the habits of the people living in
those times. Generally speaking their dwellings were of a
mean description, consisting of one storey and one room, for
which a rental of from 30s. to 40s. a year was paid. There
were no weekly tenants in those days. The furniture of these
cottages generally consisted of a pair of looms, a bobbin-
wheel, a half-headed turn-up bedstead, the bed itself being
made of chaff; a round table standing on three legs, a few
turned, unpainted chairs, an old chest, and a cradle. Very
few indeed were possessed of a clock of any kind, or even
of a chest of drawers, and as the capacity of the cottage
precluded the possibility of a second bedstead, it not
unfrequently happened that the master of the house had two
of his olive branches at his head and two at his feet while
endeavouring to seek repose after the labours of the day !
Where, it might be asked, were the comforts of the " good
old times," as compared with those enjoyed at present ?
In process of time the cotton industry was introduced into
Horton, and mills were erected specially for its manufacture,
but the conditions of life of the operatives were little if at all
the better for the introduction. It was nothing unusual for
the cotton mills to commence at five o'clock in the morning
and go on till eight at night, or any length of time that the
masters chose to work them, as there was no limitation of
hours. There was no setting off to Morecambe or the seaside
then on Saturday afternoons, for the piece was to hook and

2() Rambles Rouna Horton.

" pike " before it could be paid for ; then probably the wife
had a jorum of clothes to wash or the baking to do for
family use.

Nor were the '' good old times " much to boast of in
respect to food and living. The former was of the meanest
description, consisting of oatmeal porridge and milk for
breakfast ; for dinner, potatoes and a bit of bacon fried
together, with a piece of oat or " haver " cake dipped in the
fat for a relish. An ounce of tea, which cost sixpence, served
for a week, and if that failed, mint and herbs were called
into requisition. Butter was only present on the table on
Sundays. Flour and wheat bread were luxuries seen on
particular occasions only in a working man's cottage. The
former was seven shillings a stone, and if a large family
could afford to exchange a gold piece for a stone of flour
they did well. Almost every household had its " milk-stick,"
upon which notches were cut after each delivery — a most
ingenious preventive of fraud, as there was no fear of the
customer adding a notch, and he could not take one off !
Tradition has it that at one time there was only one oven in
Great Horton, and only one spoon for a neighbourhood, but
tradition in this case is probably in excess of truth. It is
certain, however, that porridge spoons did duty for both
knives and forks, and so highly prized were they that within
recent times a youth has been known to carry his spoon all
day long stuck in one of the button-holes of his jacket ! As
to dress, a dyed cotton gown or lincey wolsey bedgown, and
white calico " brats " for Sundays, sufficed for the women ;
while the men were proud indeed if they secured a piece of
cloth for a coat twice in a score years.

The phraseology and mode of address of Hortonians of
the past receive some illustration in the response once made
to an exclamation of one of the " Horton Amateurs " (a noted
body of Thespians years ago^, who in the course of a stage
speech was called upon to inquire, " Who am I } " " Whah,"
exclaimed one of the audience, " thar't one o' Robin o' Jack's
lot for sewer ! " The refinements of modern speech, however,
are fast exerting an influence in Horton, making sad havoc
with the mother tongue, but occasionally an unguarded native

Raiiibles Round H or ton. 27

may be heard referrini^ to a neighbour as " one o' Bill o'
Sam's," or some equivalent form of expression.

Even in regard to Great Horton the ever-spreading
borough is producing some change. The Horton of fifty
years ago was a different place from the Horton of to-day.
Half a century ago it formed a distinct place, divided from
the town by a long stretch of green fields, the route by the
highway having many long and lonely stretches, which on a
dark winter's night were a source of dread to the timid
pedestrian. The roads then were not so brilliantly lighted as
now, and during the long, dark evenings the dim candles
flickering here and there in the little shops were the only aid
to the villager doubtful as to his whereabouts. Highway
robberies and burglaries were then not unfrequent occurrences j
so frequent in fact were they one winter, when flour was dear
and work scarce, that the inhabitants of Horton were called
up in batches to patrol the thoroughfares during the night.

This reminiscence takes us back to the time of the
Chartist movement, as the patrol sometimes disturbed parties
armed with pikes, &c., who were preparing for the great rising
which was to take place if the Charter were still refused.
During the palmy days of Feargus O'Connor's propaganda,
Horton was a very hotbed of Chartism, and bristled with
physical force men. The hand-loom weavers flourished the
Radical colour almost to a man, and as for the woolcombers
— and woolcombing was at that day an extensive industry
in tlie village— they received O'Connor's gospel with special
enthusiasm. Unlike the more taciturn hand-loom weavers,
they worked in batches, and the discussion of the affairs of
the nation, so far from hindering their work, deprived it of its
monotony. And so through the long days and often far into
the nicht— for these m.en had to work fourteen and even
sixteen hours a day to earn a sorry pittance — the combing
shops rang with wild denunciations of wrongdoers, or of
fervid admiration of the champion of democracy.

These combing shops were centres for the dissemination
of political information. The Northern Star was always
subscribed for, and if a school lad could be got for a reader
he was sure of a good audience, as all the neighbours who

28 Rambles Round Hart on.

could find room congregated to hear him. The enthusiasm
of some of these men was something remarkable, and though
they may have been inferior to the working men of this
day in some departments of knowledge, upon all questions
appertaining to politics they were infinitely superior. The
difficulty was not then to find speakers at the many public
meetings which were held, but rather to find places for all
who were anxious to unburden their souls. Old Chartists will
remember the tremendous enthusiasm evoked in the village
by the visit of Feargus O'Connor. No royal personage could
have been received with greater honour than was the then
leader of democracy in England on that day. All the village
was astir almost before the morn broke, and when O'Connor
appeared the horses were taken from his carriage and he was
drawn through the streets amidst the wildest enthusiasm.

The movement known as the Plug Riots — a sort of
mixture of Chartism and trades unionism — was somehow
regarded with very little sympathy in Horton, and very few
compromised themselves by joining it. The sight of that
huge crowd of people as they marched from Halifax to
Bradford was not such indeed as to induce many to throw in
their lot with them. It was a spectacle which once seen it is
impossible to forget. The crowd came pouring through
Horton, taking the whole breadth of the wide road — a
gaunt, famished-looking, desperate multitude, armed with
huge bludgeons, flails, pitchforks, and pikes, many without
coats and hats, and hundreds with their clothes in rags and
tatters. Many of the older men looked footsore and weary,
but the great bulk were men in the prime of life, full of wild
excitement. As they marched, they thundered out to a
grand old tune the Union hyrnn : —

Oh, worthy is the glorious cause,

Ye patriots of the Union ;
Our fathers' rights, our fathers' laws,

Demand a faithful union.
y\ crouching dastard sure is he

Who would not strive for liberty,
And die to make old England free

From all her load of tyranny ;
Up, brave men of the Union I

Rambles Round H or ton. 29

As the wild mob swept onward, terrified women brought out
all their eatables, and in the hope apparently of purchasing
their forbearance handed them to the rough-looking men who
crowded to the doors and windows. That some of them had
need of food was evident from the fact that one poor famished
wretch, after struggling feebly for a share of the provisions,
fell down on the roadside, and died just about where the
Liberal Club now stands.

Before referring to the growth of the worsted industry,
to which the township of Horton with other portions of
the worsted district owes its material prosperity, we may
supplement what has been already stated with regard to
the cotton manufacture, which at one time bade fair to find
employment for a goodly number of the inhabitants of
Horton and adjoining places. This industry had obtained
a footing during the closing years of last century, providing
employment principally for weavers of cotton pieces at their
own homes. The central market was of course Manchester,
to which place all the finished goods were conveyed by
waggons, and from whence warps were brought to the
Horton manufacturers.

Old people speak of Johnny Ward, of Bank Bottom, and
Robert King, of Town End, as among the earliest carriers
engaged in this business ; they being succeeded by Isaac
Knight (or " Neet," as he was generally called), father of John
and Benjamin Knight, who afterwards played a conspicuous
part in this manufacture. Isaac Knight was succeeded in the
carrying business by John and then by Tommy Knight, who
was the last of the family who were carriers. Their large
covered waggons with big wheels went to Manchester and
other places. John Nichol (properly Nicholson) succeeded
the Knights, having been brought up by them. Some of the
larger makers employed their own waggons, keeping them
constantly upon the road between Horton and Manchester, the
time occupied in going and returning being three days. Consi-
dering the bad condition of the roads at that period, which
were at some portions of the year almost impassable, it may well
be imagined that the difficulties of transit operated materially
against the prosperity of this particular branch of industry.

30 Rambles Round Horton.

From an old directory we learn that the following calico
manufacturers from Horton attended Manchester market at
the beginning of the present century, namely, Richard Bolton,
Abraham Haley, John Knight & Co., George Norton, James
Tetley, Edward Peel, and Thomas Wardman. All these
persons apparently resided in the upper portion of the town-
ship : Richard Bolton in Low Green, where he kept scores of
persons weaving for him ; Abm. Haley in Paternoster Fold ;
Jas. Tetley (another large manufacturer) in Southfield Lane ;
Edward Peel, also of Southfield Lane, where he owned a large
number of cottages tenanted by calico weavers ; and Thos.
Wardman, in Cross Lane. The firm of Knight & Co. we shall
have to refer to subsequently. The Trafalgar coach passed
through Great Horton daily on its way to Manchester and
Liverpool, but it was either not considered trustworthy enough
for some of the Horton manufacturers, or for some other
reason not explained, they commenced a conveyance of their
own, which ran to Manchester, and was known as the " Calico
coach."

The above-named, however, were not the only persons
engaged in the cotton manufacture in Horton, there being in
addition others resident at Little Horton, some of whom were
in an extensive way of business, such as Benjamin Kaye, of
Horton Green, who, after his removal to Allerton Hall, was
succeeded by his nephew, Abraham Balme ; and in the same
locality were James Swaine, John Riley, and others.

The Knights, to whom reference has been made, were of
especial prominence in the commercial world of Horton.
John Knight was for years regarded as one of the " kings of
Horton," his will being generally considered law. About the
year 1806 John Knight, in company with his brother
Benjamin, erected a cotton factory, the site of which is
occupied by the present worsted spinning mill of Messrs. J. J.
Broadbent & Co. It was only a small erection, however, as
compared with that which at present exists upon the site, but
it served to find employment for a considerable number of
"hands," who toiled during the long hours previously stated
at very low wages. John Knight erected a good house
adjoining the mill, his brother Benjamin purchasing in the

Rajublcs Round Hortoit. 31

year 1S21 the old mansion now standing opposite Broadbent's
mill, from Gorton's trustees, for the sum of ^^2500, the
purchase including West Croft adjoining. Of this amount,
however, he would appear to liavc mortaged the property for
iJ"2000.

Up to this period the firm of John Knight & Co. were in
a prosperous condition in public estimation, and so continued
until the year 1826, when, consequent upon the failure of
Messrs. Wentworth, Chaloner & Co., the Wakefield banking
firm, and the commercial disasters which shook' the credit of
scores of firms in this neighbourhood, Messrs. John and
Benjamin Knight succumbed, and with their downfall the
calico trade of Horton sustained a serious blow. Their
estate was taken possession of by the Commissioners in
Bankruptcy, and in great measure passed into the hands of
Messrs. Harris & Co., bankers, of Bradford, the principal
creditors, who rebuilt the mill and adapted it for a worsted
factory.

The cotton trade, however, was destined to sustain an
even greater shock than this, by the failure of the firm of
Messrs. Butterworth & Brooke, of Manchester, about the
year 1845. The consternation which followed upon this
event, when the news reached Horton by coach, was very great,
as many cotton piece makers in the township were pecuniarily
involved in the affairs of the firm, the extent of whose collapse
may be judged from the fact that a dividend of only 8^d. in
the pound was subsequently realised. Even at this low rate
a combined dividend amounting to ;^6ooo was paid over
to Horton manufacturers as their share of the wreck. The
effect, however, was disastrous, scores of little masters who
were doing business with the bankrupt firm being more or less
crippled in their resources, some of whom were only able to
tide over their difliculties by the help received from Mr.
Bridges, of Horton Old Hall. The cotton trade, however,
finally collapsed in Horton in the presence of its more
vigorous rival, the worsted industry, to which reference may
now be made.

With regard to this feature of the subject our remarks
may be prefaced by the following list of worsted manufacturers

Rambles Round Hortoii.

of Great and Little Horton who attended the Bradford Piece
Hall in the year 1821, viz. : —

Bakes, William
Bakes, William
Barstow, Abraham
Bentley, Joseph
Bentley, Joseph
Bentley, Nathan
Binns, John
Birtwistle, William

Hardaker, John
H indie, Joseph
Holder, John, sen.
Holder, John, jun.

Parker, Andrew
Peel, Thomas
Robertshaw, Jeremiah
Shackleton, Robert

Holdsworth, Jeremiah Sharp, Daniel

Holdsworth, John
Holdsworth, John
Holdsworth, Jonas

Blakeborough, Richard Hudson, John

Blaymires, Joseph
Booth, Joseph
Clough, Isaac
Denton, Samuel
Emsley, John
Emsley, Thomas
Fox, Samuel

Smith, W. and E.
Swain, Joseph
Tordoff, Squire
Whitaker, John
Whitaker, Timothy
Wilkinson, David
Wood, Joseph
Wooller, Samuel
Wright, Jonas
Wright, George
Wright, William

Jennings, John
Keighley, Abraham
Keighley, James
Mitchell, Thomas
Murgatroyd, William
Parker, Abraham
Parker, John
Greenhough, Benjamin Parker, Samuel

Several of the above persons had been previously engaged in
the cotton trade, but had turned their energies in the direction
of worsted. The list is not complete, however, as it omits
mention of other and larger manufacturers whose places of
business were in Horton, such as the firm of Messrs. John
Rand & Sons. Rand's mill was one of the earliest worsted
manufacturing works in the township, but the interest
attaching to it and the families connected with it call for a
more extended notice than can be given in the present article.
In order of seniority the mill at Bank Top, now the
property of Mr. T. Priestley ; and Mitchell's Mill, Manchester
Road, come next, both having been erected in the year 18 17.
l^ank Top, or Mirypond Mill, as it was formerly named, was
erected by Mr. Ellis Cunliffe Lister, whose family owned con-
siderable property in Horton at that period. The first occupant
was Mr. Thomas Ackroyd, son of old Francis Ackroyd, who
brought up a numerous and influential family of sons, most
of whom were manufacturers, namely : — Joseph, Thomas,
William, Francis, Cowling, and Robert Stables. Thomas
Ackroyd left Bank Top Mill nearly half a century ago, and
removed to Birkenshaw, where he established the business
afterwards carried on by his sons, as spinners and manu-

Rambles Round Horton. 3J5

facturcrs, colliery proprietors, and timber merchants. William
went to Otley, where he founded the extensive business firm
of Messrs. Wm. Ackroyd & Co. ; Cowling succeeded John
Knight & Co., at Great Horton ; and Robert -Stables Ackroyd
built Fieldhead Mills, afterwards occupied by Messrs. A.
Tremel & Co., a^d since owned and occupied by Messrs, John
Smith & Sons, the firm now represented by the Mayor of
Bradford, Alderman Isaac Smith.

The original portion of the extensive pile now owned
and occupied by Messrs. Mitchell Bros, was erected by Mr.
Richard Smith, and was formerly well known as " Dick
Smith Mill." It was occupied by the owner as a worsted-
spinning mill until it was taken for the same business by
Messrs. Turner & Mitchell. The parties to this firm were
George Turner and Thomas Mitchell, father of Messrs.
Abraham and Joseph Mitchell, who have subsequently so
largely extended the premises. Messrs. George, John, and
Robert Turner afterwards went into business at Holme Top
Mill and Beckside Mill, John and George subsequently
settling at the latter place. John Turner died in i860, leaving
George in business, and he was joined by Mr. S. Ackroyd, in
the firm of George Turner & Co.

What is still known as " Marshall's Mill," in Manchester
Road, was erected in the year 1818, having been built by Mr.
James Marshall for his two sons, Joseph and John. Mr.
Marshall was an ironmonger opposite the Old Manor Hall in
Kirkgate, and was a man of some enterprise, he having, in
company with Mr. Henry Leah, some time previously
purchased the Bierlcy Ironworks. Marshall's Mill was
unfortunately burnt down in 1822, and the worsted business
carried on in it collapsed some time after its re-erection
from the effects of the commercial disaster which told upon
the owners and occupiers. Messrs. Joshua Wood & Co. were
subsequently tenants of the premises, and Messrs. B. Berry and
Co. Some years ago the property was sold to Messrs. Geo.
Brown and John Sowden.

In the year 18 19 Mr. E. C. Lister erected for Messrs.
Francis & John Mitchell Old Bowling Lane Mill, in Horton
township.
C

34 Rambles Round Horfon.

Two worsted mills were built in Horton township during
the year 1820, namely, Cliffe Mill, Great Horton, and a mill
in Nelson Street. The latter was erected by Mr. James
Duckitt, and was first occupied by Messrs, Aked & Co. and
Messrs. Chapman & Co. It has latterly been owned and
used for woolcombing by Messrs. M. Todd & Sons. The
premises have, however, been recently acquired by the
Corporation for the purposes of street improvement. Cliffe
Mill, on the other hand, has been wonderfully extended, and
is at present one of the chief sources of employment for the
factory workers of Great Horton. Cliffe Mill was built by
Joseph Beanland, corn miller and colliery proprietor, of
Shuttleworth Hall, and was run by his sons-in-law, Samuel
Helliwell, Joseph Wilkinson, and Edward Knight. It was
afterwards occupied conjointly by Mr. Cowling Ackroyd and
his brother, Robert S. Ackroyd, also by John Bartle and
Samuel Field ; and Messrs. Henry and George Mason
commenced business there, being succeeded by Messrs. John
Priestman & Sons. The premises are now owned and
occupied by Messrs. Wm. Ramsden & Co., of whose extensive
works the old Cliffe Mill forms a very inconsiderable portion.
Joseph Beanland also built the original portion of Beckside
Mill for the purposes of corn-milling, the premises, however,
being subsequently purchased by Samuel Dracup, and adapted
for a worsted factory. The premises were occupied until
recently by the firm of Messrs. George Turner & Co., and
now by Messrs. Benn & Sons, spinners and manufacturers.
Samuel Dracup's trustees are still the owners of the property.
Mr. Dracup also built a mill in Cliffe Lane, the first tenant of
which was Mr. John Bartle. Messrs. W. Bunting & Co. were
subsequently tenants, and on the retirement of Mr. Bunting
his partner, the late Mr. Henry Snowdcn, took the business.

Cross Lane Mill comes before the two last-named in order
of erection, the original structure having been commenced
in 1 821 by Mr. EH Suddards. Mr. Suddards came from
Todmordcn as a corn dealer, and carried on that business in
an old house at Low Green. He, however, did not complete
the erection of the mill in Cross Lane, which was completed
by Mr. James Couscn, who commenced running it as a

Rambles Roitiid Horfon. 35

spinning mill under the name of James Cousen & Son. Mr.
VVm. Cousen, the son, afterwards succeeded to the business.
The adjoining shed was erected by Mr, Moses Topham and
run by him in 1867. The entire premises are now owned
by Messrs. John Rand & Sons, and occupied by the firm.

In 1826 Cannan Mill was built by Mr. Samuel Cannan,
who farmed Tommy Barraclough's land at Primrose Hill, and
sent out " travelling Scotchmen." The old mill, known as
Sammy Cannan Mill, was occupied by several tenants, among
others by Mr. George Oxley, afterwards Willett & Oxley,
merchants ; Mr. Wm. Foster, of Oueensbury ; Mr. John
Buckle ; Mr. John Smith, afterwards of Fieldhead Mills ;
Mr. Thos. Myers, and others. An alarming accident happened
in connection with Cannan Mill on the 6th of January, 1839,
when the chimney suddenly fell, cutting the mill into halves.
The new mill was built by Mr. Charles Tetley, and called
by the owner Cann(?n Mill. It had been completed some
time when Mr. John Ashley, spinner, &c., became the
first tenant in the year 1854. He had been bookkeeper
and cashier with the firm of Messrs. John Smith & Sons.
Some time after Messrs. Whitaker & Booker, spinners and
manufacturers, became tenants also. In the year 1874
Mr. Ashley from various causes was obliged to suspend
payment, an arrangement being made to pa}' the creditors
17s. 6d. in the pound, with guarantee. Twelve months after,
each creditor received a sum equal to 20s. in the £ with
interest, thus furnishing another instance of commercial
integrity which it is a pleasure to record. In admiration of
his upright conduct a handsome service of plate was shortly
afterwards presented to Mr. Ashley by Mr. Richard Fawcett,
on behalf of a few friends, and on the same occasion a gold
snuff box was presented to Mr. Samuel Ackroyd, of Great
Horton, in recognition of his judicious management of Mr.
Ashley's affairs during his temporary embarrassment. Mr.
Ashley now lives in retirement in Summerseat Place.

Mr. Chas. Tetley, the builder of the new portion of
Cannon Mill, was of the firm of Rennie, Tetley & Co., and
was sometimes called by his friends Pump Tetley, from the
fact that he was the inventor of the centrifugal pump. Mr.

36 Rambles Round Horfon,

Tetley was a ver}' clever man, but short of some of the
qualities which go to make a successful man of business. He
was for many years manager of the Laxey Mine in the Isle of
Man, where he died a few years ago. The premises are now
owned by Mr. George Rennie Tetley, of Bingley, son of the
late Mr. G. G. Tetley.

In the year 1827 the mill at Great Horton erected by
John Knight for a cotton mill was converted into a worsted
mill by Messrs. Harris & Co. for Mr. Cowling Ackroyd, who
commenced life in partnership with his brother Robert
Stables Ackroyd at " Cowling Mill," as it was termed.
When Mr. R. S. Ackroyd went to Fieldhead, his brother
Cowling remained at Horton, and for a long period was
intimately identified with its interests. He retired from
business, however, and the mill stood empty for a time.
Messrs. Harris pulled down the old mill and built the
present one, \\hen Messrs. J. J. Broadbent & Co., who had
been at Atlas Mills, Bradford, came to it in 1861, and
purchased the property, since which period the works have
been much extended.

Brief reference can only be made to subsequent erections,
among which may be named Northsidc Mill, Legrams, built
by Mr. Nathan Bentley, and occupied by him and his sons,
Edwin, William, Bakes, Nathan, and Henr}', afterwards
purchased by Mr. Simeon Townend, and now owned by Mr.
Alfred Illingworth, M.P. Bentley's Mill suffered from a
disastrous fire on November 25, 1852, when it was almost
burned to the ground.

Stowell's Mill at Holme Top was erected in the year
1835 by Messrs. John and Squire Stowell. It was occupied at
one time by Messrs. George, John and Robert Turner, and
afterwards purchased and extended by Messrs. Michael and
Samuel Smith, who occupied a portion of the premises.

Britannia Mills, Manchester Road, erected by Messrs.
Christopher and Edward Waud in 1836, were at the time of
their erection the largest spinning mills in the Bradford district,
and so persuaded were some persons that the worsted trade
did not justify so large an outlay that the erection of these
mills was looked upon as an extravagant piece of folly!

Rambles Round lloi'ton. 37

Albion Mill, Manchester Road, was erected by the late
Mr. Thomas Dewhirst, previously with Messrs. Pearson and
Whitehead, of Laisterdyke, upon the ground first purchased
after the opening up of the Skinhousc estate in 1850.

Shearbridge Mills, erected by Mr. Thomas Firth in
1850, are now the property of the late Mr. Wm. Dewhirst'.s
executors. This property also suffered seriously from fire,
the premises having been burned to the ground on July 10,
1866. They were, however, rebuilt quickly, five feet wider
than originally planned.

Among those who deserve especial mention in connection
with the manufacturing interests of Horton and the neighbour-
hood are the Dracup family. Sammy Dracup, whose family
was originally from Idle, was a most ingenious and persevering
man. His family acquired a considerable reputation as
shuttlemakers and makers of harness, also in rendering the
jacquard engine applicable to the worsted business, Mr.
Uracup commenced making these engines in 1838. When
first introduced into Horton they could only be worked by
hand. It is stated that Mr. Thomas Ackroyd, of Horton
Bank Top, set the first jacquard engine to work by power
in the neighbourhood of Bradford. In connection with this
subject it is worthy of note that Mr. S. Dracup also made
the first card-cutting machine in the year 1833, and in the
succeeding year he produced his repeater, a kind of stereotype
for designs. The family acquired considerable property in
Horton, which they still hold.

38 Rambles Round H or ton.

CHAPTER IV.

Pioneers of the Worsted Industry — Tiie Rands^The Ramsbothams — The Swaiiies.

Referring in a previous article to the commercial
interests of Horton we reserved v/hat it might be desirable
to place on record with regard to several important families
which were largely identified with the township of Horton
and the interests of the worsted trade generally. Among the
number the Rands, the Ramsbothams, and the Swaines call
for especial notice, as being pioneers in that important
industry. Although many beside them had long been
engaged in the making of worsted stuffs, it was reserved to
members of the above families to concentrate the industry
within the walls of a worsted factory.

The first erection of this character is attributed to Mr.
Henry Ramsbotham, with whom were associated Mn Swaine
and Mr. Nathaniel Murgatroyd. The mill was situate in the
Holme, and v/as adjacent to the beck-course dividing the
townships of Horton and Bradford. This was in the year
1798. A second mill was erected in 1801 by Mr. Benj. Peile
for his nephews, Benjamin and Matthew Thompson, and in
1803 one was built in Horton Lane by Mr. John Rand. It
would appear, hov/ever, that the force of circumstances
impelled some of the persons named to a course of action
which they had resolutely opposed in others. In James's
History of Bradford there is given a curious document,
showing that an enterprising gentleman named Buckley,
residing in Bradford, formed in 1793 the design of erecting
a factory to be worked by a steam engine, a site for which
had been purchased in a field near the bottom of Manchester
Road, known as the Brick Kiln Field. So opposed were the
residents of the locality to the erection of a smoking factory
chimney, however, that a number of inhabitants signed a
document threatening Mr. Buckley with an action at law
if he persevered in his design, and that gentleman, seeing
the array of influential names agaftist him, quietly gave up

RaiJibles Round Hart on. 39

the project, and withdrew to the Todmordcn valley. The
signatures attached to this threatening missive were as
follows : — Toms. Atkinson, Nathl. Aked, John Smith, Isaac
Willson, Thos. Holdgate, Jonas Bower, John Rand, Wm.
Whitaker, Jno. Hardy, Henry W. Oates, Mary Laidman,
Betty Swaine, Frs. Town, J. Lupton, and John Aked.

It is somewhat significant that several of the signatories
took a leading part in later years in promoting the erection
of objectionable mill chimneys, among them being Mr. John
Rand. Betty Swaine was Mr. Rand's mother-in-law, and
Mary Laidman was Mrs. Swaine's sister. The Rev. Dr.
Laidman, husband of Mary Laidman, was vicar of Calverley,
and it is worth notice in passing that that position was in
later times held successively by the Rev. Saml. Redhead, who
married Mary, eldest daughter of John Rand (grandniece of
Mrs. Laidman), and the Rev. Alfred Brov/n, who married
Jane, third daughter of Samuel and Mary Redhead. Thomas
Atkinson was a woolstapler in Tyrrel Street, and was the
employer of John Rand. John and Nathaniel Aked were
members of a family which resided in a low old-fashioned
house where the New Inn now stands — a family long identified
with the wool trade. John Hardy, the grandfather of the
present Lord Cranbrook, lived in the good house opposite
Mr. Rand's ; Wm. Whitaker was the principal partner in the
Old Brewery near at hand ; and Henry W. Oates was also a
member of the firm. Isaac Willson, the clerk of the Court of
Requests, resided at the house at the corner of " Bowling
Lane," afterwards occupied by Mrs. Bacon. Jonas Bower
belonged to the respectable family of that name in Chapel
Lane ; and Thos. Holdgate was the minister at Horton Lane
Chapel.

It will be seen therefore that the " protest " was
extensively signed by the gentry of the Town IukI, as
that portion of Bradford was called, and remembering the
salubrious character of the locality at that time, it is scarcely
to be wondered at that they should have taken alarm at
the threatened pollution by smoke of the neighbourhood.
However, as history proves, some of the protestors soon
changed their views, and not only entered heartily into the

40 Rambles Round Horton.

initiatory stages of development through which the worsted
industry necessarily passed, but left representatives who in
an eminent degree deserve the gratitude of the present
generation for the enterprising spirit in which they promoted
that industry in subsequent but not less critical stages.

In this category rank the Rand family. The Rands
sprang from Norwich, the father of John Rand, the elder,
being named Hewett Rand, who was a merchant of that city.
Through his mother's line John Rand was descended from
the Columbines, a Huguenot family, who, after the revocation
of the Edict of Nantes, settled in Norwich. That city was
towards the close of last century and during the earlier
portion of the present one, celebrated for the manufacture of
a class of worsted goods akin to those produced in Bradford,
and probably arising out of this circumstance Hewett Rand
apprenticed his son John with Mr. Thomas Atkinson, of
Tyrrel Street (one of the signatories of the famous Buckley
" protest "), and with whom John learned his business so far
as a knowledge of the wool trade was concerned.

In March, 1785, John Rand married Mary, the only child
of Samuel and Betty Swaine, Mr. Swaine afterwards entering
into partnership with Mr. John Rand in the worsted trade.
Samuel Swaine formerly lived in a homestead in Legrams,
nearly opposite to Horton Grange, but afterwards built and
resided in the house in Horton Lane adjacent to which
Rand's Mill was built, and he owned the land required for
that erection. On Mr. Rand's marriage with their daughter,
Mr. and Mrs. Swaine gave up this house to Mr. Rand, who
resided there until his death in 1835, at the age of seventy-six
years.

The picture of this veteran stuffmaker, with his powdered
queue, knee breeches, black silk stockings, and buckled shoes,
is yet in the remembrance of " old inhabitants," and it may
be recorded that he was the last man in Bradford who held to
the above costume. His wife died in 1837, aged seventy-
seven years. Their family comprised three sons, viz., Samuel,
who died in 1808, aged twenty-two years ; John, and William;
also four daughters : — Mary, who married the Rev. Samuel
Redhead, vicar of Calverley ; Sarah, who married the Rev.

Rambles Round Horton. 41

Henry Ives liailey, incumbent of Drighlington ; Elizabeth,
who died young, unmarried ; and Annie, who married George
Dodsworth, Esq., of Wheldrake, near York.

To the memory of John and WilHam Rand, the
surviving sons of John Rand the elder, ample justice can
scarcely be done in sketches of the character we propose.
Of both of the first-named gentlemen it may be said that
they assisted in the development of the worsted industry
from its most primitive stage until it reached a position of
assured stability — they were, in fact, connecting links between
the generation which inhabited Bradford w^hen it was a mere
village and that which has made it one of the most influential
towns in the kingdom. There are but few in Bradford who
remember the " Bishop Blaize " celebrations of sixty years
ago, but those who do can tell with what a lusty voice John
Rand pronounced the famous " speech " beginning " Hail to
the day," &c., which, doggerel though it be, was deemed by
our ancestors the laureate-poem of Yorkshire. But Mr. John
Rand was more than a tradesman, and his name will long be
associated with the various religious, social, and philanthropic
movements of his time. Mr. Rand married a sister of the
late Dr. Macturk, but left no issue. His death occurred in
June, 1873, in the eightieth year of his age. A tablet has
been erected in Bradford Parish Church by his widow, who
died during the year 1884.

William Rand was born in 1796, and, in conjunction
with his brother, devoted much time to the development of
the worsted business. In public matters his name stands
connected with the Waterworks Company, of which he was
chairman until it was bought up by the Corporation. Over
the latter body he was elected to preside as Mayor in the
year 1 850-1, having been an alderman of the borough since
its incorporation in 1847. ^^^ many years Mr. Rand lived at
the family house in Horton Lane, but subsequently removed
to Baildon, w^iere he died in December, 1868, aged seventy-
two years. He was never married.

It may be stated that the original mill erected by John
Rand was adapted for the spinning of cotton as well as of
worsted, and is still standing parallel with Horton Lane.

42 Rambles Round Horton.

That portion of the premises adjoining the burial ground of
Horton Lane Chapel was erected many years afterwards
upon the site of the mill-dam, and subsequently the premises
have been much extended in the direction of Great Horton
Road.

The history of Swaine and Ramsbotham's Mill in the
Holme is interesting on account of its being the first erection
of the kind in Bradford. Although it is just outside the
Horton boundary, it may be noticed in these papers by reason
of its associations, and its initiation by men who were intimately
connected with Horton. From the fields in which it was
situate being from " time immemorial " called the Holmes, it
may be inferred that they formed a dry spot in a swampy
place, or possibly at one period an island may have been
formed by the divergence of the streams from Horton and
Thornton. It was in these meadows that the famous Bishop
Blaize demonstrations were marshalled before proceeding
round the town. The road to the Holme, and subsequently
to Holme Mill, was by way of Brewery Lane, and across the
beck at the bottom. There was also a nice plantation of
wood at that time upon the slopes of the hill upon which
Westbrook House (now the Alexandra Hotel) stands.

After the erection of Holme Mill by Mr. Henry Rams-
botham, he was joined in partnership by one of the Swaines.
Mr. Nathaniel Murgatroyd, a cotton manufacturer and father
of the late Mr. Wm. Murgatroyd, having some interest in it.
The leading spirit, however, was Mr. Ramsbotham, who, it
is said, had prior to 1798 turned a quantity of spinning
machinery in his premises near the site of the Bradford
Banking Company's bank by means of a horse-gin, a course
adopted by several other manufacturers. It would appear,
too, that Mr. Ramsbotham was an authority in trade matters
generally, as we are told that he and the late Edward Pease,
of Darlington, met every three months at the Golden Lion in
Leeds, or at the Star and Garter at Kirkstall, to arrange
the list of prices to be charged for worsted yarns during
the ensuing quarter ! How delighted would any two or
three spinners of the present day be to possess such a
privilege 1

Rambles Round Hoy ton. 43

After the Holme Mill had been erected about four years
a serious fire occurred, and almost destroyed the edifice. On
that occasion the corps of the Bradford Volunteers, captained
by My. Samuel Hailstone, had an opportunity of distinguishing
themselves by putting out the flames. With this view we are
told they "saged" or severed the leaden pipe which supplied
the town's reservoir in Westgate, and thus obtained the
necessary fluid. That was in March, 1804. It is not at all
unlikely that the fire was the work of some malicious person
or combination of persons, inasmuch as it is upon record that
Mr. Ramsbotham had to encounter considerable opposition
during the erection of the mill. While the stones were being
conveyed for its erection a large number of inhabitants of the
town assembled to prevent their being deposited on the site,
and Mr. Ramsbotham had to strip and show fight before
the horse and cart was allowed to proceed ! The engine
supplying the propelling force was of 15-horse power. After
the disastrous fire the premises were rebuilt and enlarged by
the original partners, but were shortly afterwards purchased
by Mr. Richard Fawcett, who at the time was also erecting
a mill in Union Street, and in both places he carried on a
successful business for some years. Holme Mill again
suffered from conflagration in 1868, and since that period
the premises have been occupied as machine works by
Messrs. Sowden & Stephenson.

The Ramsbothams originally came from I.ancashire. A
member of this family settled in Halifax some time about
the year 1730, as an oil merchant, and his son Robert
Ramsbotham very early in life came to Bradford, and married
EHza, a daughter of William Swaine, of Legrams, brother
to Samuel Swaine, the father of Mrs. John Rand, who
also lived in Legrams. Robert Ramsbotham died in 1796,
leaving three children, viz., Henry (of whom mention has
been made in connection with Holme Mill) ; William, who
died without i.ssue ; and Elizabeth, who married Dr. Mossman,
of Bradford, and had children : George Robert, solicitor,
father of Mr. G. R. Mossman, of Crow Trees, and clerk to
the West Riding and borough justices ; and Margaret, who
married Wm. Taylor, Esq., of Hunsworth. it will be seen.

44 Rambles Round H or ton.

therefore, that the connection between the Rands and the
Ramsbothams came through the Swaines.

Henry Ramsbotham married Ann Elizabeth, daughter
of Thomas Shepley, Esq., of Tadcaster. He died in 1810,
and his widow afterwards married Dr. Mossman. Henry
Ramsbotham had two sons, Henry Robert and John Hodgson.
Robert, after being in partnership with the Rands for many
years, founded the firm of Messrs. H. R. Ramsbotham & Co.,
and lived at Allerton Hall, afterwards removing to Finchley,
where he died, unmarried, in 1880. John, the second son,
was apprenticed with Mr. Blakey, surgeon, of Bradford, and
practiced as a medical man for a time in London and
afterwards in his native town. Being compelled by ill-health
to retire from the active pursuit of his profession, he accepted
in 1838 the stewardship of the Thornhill estates at Fixby and
Calverley. In 1845, having had his attention drawn to the
method of treatment put forth by Hahnemann, then a novelty
in this country, he gradually resumed practice, and by his
enthusiasm as one of the pioneers of homoeopathy in the
north of England, made many converts to the new doctrine
among his professional friends. He was well known as a
successful practitioner, first in Huddersfield and then in
Leeds, where he died in 1868. He married Mary, eldest
daughter of the Rev. Samuel Redhead. Of his sons, two
have become connected with the Bradford trade, viz., Robert
Redhead, who was in partnership with Mr. Wm. Firth as a
worsted spinner, and died in i'&'j'^, and John Rand, who is
associated with his cousin Frederick Mossman in carrying
on the business of H. R. Ramsbotham & Co. His eldest son,
Samuel Henry, succeeded him in practice at Leeds, and
his youngest son, Francis Shepley, is an assistant master
at Charterhouse School, Godalming. His daughter, Mary
lilizabeth, married the Rev. Edward Kemble, formerly vicar
of Yeadon, now vicar of Coniston Cold, in Craven.

The Swaines are a very ancient family. By the will of
Miles Swayne, of Horton, dated 1515, he gave his body to be
buried in the church of St. Peter and St. Paul at Bradford,
and left 3s. 4d. for church work. He also mentioned Alice,
his wife, and made James and Christopher Swaine, his

Rambles Round Hortou. 45

sons, his executors. In 1596 a Robert Swayne married
Elizabeth Sharp, of Horton, and numerous entries might
be given from documents before us showing a continuous
succession of Horton and Bradford Swaines to the close of
last century. That members of the family were considerable
landowners may be gathered from a perusal of the land tax
for Horton in 1704, of which Chris. Swaine and Thos. Swaine
were assessors, and in which occur the following names : —
Abm. Swaine, of Hew Clews ; Robert Swaine, Hunt Yard ;
Thos. Swaine, Chris. Swaine, and " Mr." Wm. Swaine.

The Swaine family had numerous branches, the various
lines of which it would be undesirable to trace except for
strictly antiquarian reasons. Following the more important
branches so far as their connection with Horton is concerned,
we append notes culled from family documents and the silent
testimony of the burial ground of Chapel Lane Chapel, where
many members of the family lie interred.

As we have seen, the Swaines were located in Horton
early in the sixteenth century, and probably before. The
family, however, have a clear descent from 1596, when Robert
Swayne married Elizabeth Sharp, one of the members of the
Horton family of that name. Their son, Thomas, married in
1633 Grace Pearson, and the eldest son of this marriage,
Samuel, married Susannah Feild, also of Horton. In 1701
Robert Swaine, a son of the above, married Sarah l^alme, of
Bowling. From this marriage sprang the several branches of
the family, who in various ways were largely identified with
the interests of the neighbourhood. Robert Swaine lived at
Newall Hall, and had three sons and two daughters, several
of whom were baptised in the Presbyterian Chapel, W'ibsey
Bankfoot, called Hill Top Chapel, where their grandf^Uher,
Samuel, was interred. This reference gives rise to the
interesting question where this place of religious worship, the
predecessor of the old Presbyterian Chapel in Chapel Lane,
was situate. This moot point, however, will receive attention
in a subsequent paper.

Robert Swaine subsequently resided in the house at the
entrance to Legrams Lane, afterwards occupied by Mr. Henry
Gates, and Mr. Robt S. Ackroyd. He was in partnership

46 Rambles Round Horton.

with his sons, Samuel and WiHiam, as worsted stuff makers
in Legrams. Robert Swaine died in September, 1775, at the
age of eighty-four years, and he and his wife Sarah, who
also reached her eighty-fourth year, are interred in the
Presbyterian burial ground, Chapel Lane. Besides Samuel
and William he had an elder son, Joseph Swaine, born at
Newall Hall in 1703, and married to Bathshua Hesketh,
daughter of the Rev. Robert Hesketh, of Tinglcy, who traced
her descent from the Lords Eure, of Witton Castle, Durham,
and Stokesley Manor, Cleveland. Joseph Swaine for some
time resided at Lower Burnet Field, one of the residences
purchased by him, and he had also lands at Esholt and
Hawks worth.

Joseph Swaine appears to have been a man of some
business energy, and to have acquired considerable property.
In a cancelled will, dated 1770, he is described as of Horton,
woolcombcr, and after devising to Bathshua, his wife, and
Edward Hesketh, his brother-in-law, certain property, he
bequeathed his Hawksworth estate to his second son John,
of Burnet Field, stuff maker. In 1780 Joseph Swaine was
resident in the mansion at Great Horton now occupied by
Mr. John Denton, and was a merchant. He afterwards
farmed lands in Manningham, but again removed to a house
in Little Horton Lane, where he lived with his unmarried
daughter and son, John, then a widower. He died in 1787,
in the eighty-fifth year of his age, and with his wife, lies
in the burial ground in Chapel Lane.

Joseph Swaine's eldest son Robert married the daughter
of Mr. Nathaniel Priestley of Northowram, and lived for
some time at Cross Hill, Halifax, afterwards joining in
business with his brother John, and his nephews, Joseph
and Edward, at Gomersal Mills. He died in 18 12, without
issue. John, the second son of Joseph Swaine, was twice
married, first to Mary, daughter of Mr. Robert Fieldsend,
of Waddington, and secondly, to Ann, daughter of Mr.
John Greenwood, of Bridge House, Haworth. By his first
marriage he had a son, Joseph Swaine, born in the house in
Horton Lane, in 1781. He afterwards resided at Copley
Gate near Halifax, and then removed to Brier Hall,

Rambles Rotiiid Horton. 47

Gomersal, where he, in partnership with his half-brother
Edward Swaine, who died at York, in January, 1885, in the
ninety-fifth year of his age, took a sixty years' lease of what
was then called the Gomersal Cloth Hall, from Sir Henry
Ibbetson. Joseph Swaine died at Brier Hall, in the year
1870, at the advanced age of eighty-nine years. His daughter.
Miss Caroline Frances Swaine, born in 1806, now lives at
Field Head, Gomersal. Her brother William Edward, of
Leeds, born in 1809, died while staying at Ilklcy in 1880^
leaving as the head of the Swaine family in England Mr.
Henry Paget Swaine, of Brabccuf Manor, Guildford, Surrey.
The family bear arms — A maiden figure couped, proper,
crined or, between wings of gold.

Edward Swaine, the third son of Joseph Swaine, sen.,
was the progenitor of the German branch of the family. He
lived in London for a time, but for many years resided in
Leipsic and Weimar, Germany, where he died in 1837, o^'^*"
eighty years of age. Of this stock several branches exist —
viz., that represented by Col. Leopold Victor Swaine, military
attache at Berlin and Lord Wolseley's military secretary in
the Egyptian campaign ; and Capt. Ernest Edward Swaine,
son of Dr. W. E. Swaine, formerly physician extraordinary to
H.R.H. the Duchess of Kent. Another branch is represented
by Freiherr Richard von Swaine, who married the Princess
Lowenstein Wertheim.

We have still to notice the brothers of Joseph Swaine,
sen., who died in 1787. They were, as stated, William and
Samuel Swaine, the former having a daughter Elizabeth
married to Mr. Robert Ramsbotham ; the latter, Samuel,
being the father of Mary Swaine, married to Mr. John
Rand, sen. Samuel died in 1787, aged seventy-four years;
and his wife Betty (who signed the " Buckley protest ") in
1793. William died in 1789, aged eighty-two years. He
had also a son, Samuel, who married his cousin, a daughter
of Jo.seph Swaine, sen., who died in 1841, having reached the
ninety-i^rst year of her age. All the above were engaged in
the Bradford worsted trade, and one of them was associated
with Mr. Ramsbotham in the erection of the Holme Mill.
Samuel, the father-in-law of John Rand, erected the good

48 Rambles Round Horton.

house near Rand's Mill, which his daughter and Mr. Rand
occupied until their deaths.

The record of the Swaine family is remarkable for the
long ages attained by many of its members. Of the nine
persons above referred to, eight lived to over four-score years,
three of the number being over ninety years of age. The
Svvaines were undoubtedly the oldest Presbyterian family in
Bradford, several of its members having been upon the trust
since the foundation of the chapel in 1717, when Abraham
Swaine's name appears. Joseph Swaine, of Brier Hall, his
half-brother, Mr. Edward Swaine, of York, Mr. W. E. Swaine,
of Leeds, and his brother John, were all trustees, but now Mr.
Henry Paget Swaine, of Guildford, is the only representative.
When the foundation-stone of the new chapel was laid in
1868, the ceremony was performed by Mr. Edward Swaine.

Other members of this family were resident in Great
Horton, to whom subsequent reference may be made, and
there was also an influential branch more immediately
connected with Bradford. Dr. Swaine, who was connected
with this branch, and resided in Hall Ings, was an eminent
apothecary in Bradford in the first half of last century,
and was a great friend of Abraham Sharp, the Horton
mathematician. He was one of the {q.\v persons who were
admitted to the workshop of the recluse by the process of
rubbing a stone upon a certain place in the wall, but even he
had often to return disappointed, Sharp being either too
much absorbed to notice the signal or indisposed to see
company. Mr. Charles Swaine Booth Sharp, of Horton
Hall, succeeded to the property of this gentleman. In what
way the Horton Swaincs were connected with Dr. Swaine we
have not ascertained, but it is said that next to Mr. C. S. B.
.Sharp, Joseph .Swaine, of Brier Hall, was heir-at-law to the
property of the Bradford Swaines.

Rambles Round II art on. 49

CHAPTICR V.

Chapel Lane— The Bower Family — I'resbyterianism in Horton — Horton Meeting-
house— Chapel Lane Unitarian Chapel — Former Ministers — Spring House,
Mrs. Bacon — Ebenezer Chapel — John Hardy — Samuel Hailstone — Edward
Hailstone, F'.S.A.

Having alluded to various features connected with the
township of Horton without reference to locality, we may
now take a ramble round the township, commencing with
that portion of it adjacent to Bradford " town-end."

A perusal of the map of Bradford will show nearly
the whole of Chapel Lane to be just within the township
boundary of Horton. Although now essentially in the heart
of Bradford, the residences which formerly lined Chapel Lane
were pleasantly situated, away from the centre of the town
and the bustle of the market place, which was situate in
Westgate. In the reference book to the township map of
1 80 1 we find mention of " Chapel Lane Gardens," and within
more recent times we have pleasing recollections of a grass-
covered lawn opposite the old Unitarian Chapel.

At the commencement of the present century the
principal residents of Chapel Lane were Miss Swaine,
Joshua Jennings, Geo. Dodgson, Wm. Goodchild, James
Pullan, Benjamin Key, and Miss Bower. The last-named
lady was also a large landowner in the neighbourhood.

The Bower family had been resident in Chapel Lane for
a long period, and ranked among the leading gentry of the
town. Jeremy Bower and Thomas Bower were important
tradesmen of Bradford in Queen Elizabeth's time, being put
down as " mercers." Thomas Bower also kept " Ye Swanne,"
and carried on an extensive tanning business, besides that of
"hair-beard," or barber. It was probably this Bower who was
appointed to make out the return for Bradford in Barnard's
Survey of 1577. Simeon Bower was a " lawyear," a profession
followed by more recent members of the family. Jeremiah
Bower was postmaster of Bradford in the latter half of the
1)

50 Rambles Round H or ton.

seventeenth century, and a Jeremy Bower kept the Talbot Inn
in Kirkgate in tlie year 1691. The Paper Hall in Barkerend,
and considerable property in Horton, once belonged to the
Bower family. For many years, however, the leading
representatives of the family have been removed from the
town. Mr. John Bower, who resided here in the early part of
the century, died at Middlethorpe, York, in 1843, at the age
of seventy years. His son, also named John, a barrister, and
the last of the family who lived in Bradford, died a few years
ago. Mr. Abraham Bower, another son, lived at an estate
purchased by him many years ago at Ripon, and died there,
at the age of eighty-one, during the year 1884.

In the early part of the century the gardens and orchard
attached to Townend House extended up Manchester Road
(or Bowling Lane) for some distance. There was also a toll-
bar at the bottom of the lane which effectually commanded
all the traffic entering the town from that direction. The
toll-house was on the Chapel Lane side, and was kept by
John Lee. It was afterwards occupied as a flour shop by
one Craven. The toll-bar, however, which had long been a
nuisance, was removed in 1826.

The principal object of historic interest in Chapel Lane
is undoubtedly the Unitarian Chapel. The date of its erection
was about the year 1718-19, it being at the time the only
dissenting place of worship in Bradford. The founders were
the old Nonconformists or Presbyterians. The history of
this section of Christians would take our thoughts back to
troublous times in the annals of the Christian Church, and if
space permitted, lead us to notice the two diverging tendencies
of the Puritan party in the seventeenth century, which at last
settled down into what were known a century later as Old
Dissent and New Dissent, Rational Dissenters and Orthodox
Dissenters, synonymous with the English Presbyterians or
Unitarians, and Independents or Congregationalists, of the
present day. Immediately after the Revolution of 1688
Presbyterianism first took root in Bradforddale, and a chapel
was built at Little Horton for the use of the Dissenters
of the neighbourhood, who were not only numerous but
comprised several influential adherents ; among these may

Rambles Round H or ton. 51

be included some members of the Sharp family, also of the
Swaines, the Hodgsons, the Rollings, and others. In the list
of meeting-houses registered at Wakefield Sessions after the
passing of the Toleration Act in 1688 we find the following
entries : —

Under date January, i68g. — "That Thomas Sharp, of Little
Horton, nigh Bradford, clerk, doth make choice of his own house to
assemble in for rehgious worship."

January, 1691.— "The dweUing-house of John Smithies, of Little
Horton, recorded a place of religious meeting. Signed — ^^Samuel Swayne,
John Smithies, John Butterfield, Robert Parkinson."

January, 1695. — "The house of Thomas Ferrand, of Bradford, for
religious worship."

January, 1696. — "The house of Thomas Hodgson, of Bradford,
recorded."

The erection of a chapel for the use of those who from
conscientious motives dissented from the forms adopted in
the Church as by law established would doubtless be the
means of gathering together the various sections of devout
persons attending these meeting-houses, but it is not clear
where that chapel was situate. The site of it was either
given by or purchased from Thomas Sharp, of Horton Hall,
a man eminent for his theological attainments, and who, as
we have seen, had licensed his own house for religious
worship, whither, it is recorded, " numbers flocked to hear
him." In his will, dated 1693, Thomas Sharp bequeathed to
his daughter Elizabeth a close of land at Little Horton, called
Higher End, which is described as being " near the new
meeting-house." In Fawcett's " Life of Oliver Heywood," it
is said that " the people had previously (to the erection of
the Presbyterian Chapel at Bradford) worshipped at Little
Horton, and at a place not far from Wibsey."

The house usually pointed out as the site of the " new
meeting-house" is situate in Thornton Lane, and is still
known as Chapel House, while Chapel Fold and Chapel
Green are well-recognised names in the immediate vicinity.

Over the door are the initials \'^ \j\ \ the letters I and T

standing for Jeremiah Thornton, and M for the name of his
wife. The date, 1739, does not correspond with the period

5-2

Rambles Round H or ton.

when the " new meeting-house " was erected, but might refer
to a time of rebuilding, as there are indications of portions of
the house being older than the period referred to.

The late John James discredited the claim of the
Thornton Lane residence, and stated that he had seen
references to Chapel Fold at Bradford long before, assuming
the site of the earlier edifice to be in Chapel Lane. To
still further complicate the subject, we have evidence that
members of the Swaine family, who were amongst the
earliest Presbyterians, were both baptised and buried at the
" Presbyterian Chapel, Wibsey Bankfoot, and called Hill Top
Chapel." Wherever this place of worship was situate, it was
undoubtedly the birthplace of Nonconformity in Bradford.

The Rev. Samuel Hulme was a resident of Little Horton
about the year 1700, and was minister of the Presbyterian
congregation. His son, Joseph Hulme, M.D., was born in
the village, and was educated for the ministry under Dr.
Philip Doddridge, but, changing his profession, he became a
skilful physician. He died in the ninety-second year of his
age. The Rev. Samuel Crowther, who died in 1706, and the
Rev. Eli Dawson succeeded Samuel Hulme at Little Horton.
In 1 7 16 the congregation was called Presbyterian, having 500
hearers, forty of them having county votes.

In the year 1719, however, the congregation removed to
the new chapel in Chapel Lane. The site of it is described in
the trust deed as " the north corner of Murgatroyd's Croft, in
Horton," and was given by Robert Stansfield, a drysalter, who
married a daughter of Thos. Sharp, and whose son Robert
afterwards purchased Esholt Hall. The dimensions of the
site were about thirty yards in length and thirty yards in
breadth, and it was bounded on the north by Back Lane,
then probably called Toad Lane, and now rejoicing in the
better-sounding name of Chapel Lane. On the west it was
bounded by land belonging to the daughters of Mr. John
Hollings, while to the east and south lay the rest of the croft.

The trustees were Abraham Sharp, of Little Horton ;
Samuel Stansfield, of Bradford, Salter ; Thomas Ferrand,
Bradford, grocer and mercer ; Abraham Rhodes, Bradford,
yeoman ; Jeremy Dixon, Heaton Royds, yeoman ; Abm.

Ranibles Roiuid Norton. 53

Svvaine, Bradford, yeoman ; John Lister, Bolton, yeoman ;
Isaac Wilkinson, Little Horton, yeoman ; John Atkinson,
Bradford, butcher (?) ; Wm. Hod^^son, l^owling, yeoman ;
and James Aked, Bradford, yeoman, who are described as
being " Protestant Dissenters from the Church of England ; "
and the date of the conveyance is December 2nd, 17 19.

From a document printed in the Bradford A ntiqiuDj we
learn that many of the materials came from Howley Hall,
near Batley, built in 1590 by Sir John Savile, and dismantled
through the caprice of its subsequent owner, the Earl of
Cardigan, during the early part of the eighteenth century.
Among these items are the following : —

May 24, 1 7 19. / s. d.

Pd. for Hooley windows 3 o o

Pd. for 14 loads of ye same leading to Bradford,

at 5s. per load 3 10 o

Charges at Hooley when best ceiling was taken

down o 010

Paid for 6 pilasters at Hooley 090

Paid John Crocker for Hooley gates leading ...250

The woodwork and fittings were therefore old at the time
they were brought to Bradford. The total cost of the erection
was ;^340 3s. 5d. The old gateway, since its removal from
Chapel Lane, has been re-erected in the grounds of Mr.
Arthur Briggs, Cragg Royd, Rawdon.

The Rev. Eli Dawson continued his pastorate at the new-
chapel in Chapel Lane until 1728. He was followed in 173 1
by the Rev, Joshua Hardcastle, who continued until his death
in 1753, and was succeeded by the Rev. John Smith, of
Mixenden, a graduate of the Glasgow University, and a
relative of the Sharps. For a long time Mr. Smith con-
cluded his sermons with the Trinitarian Doxology, and to the
last attended the week-day services of the Church. He died
in 1768, and lies in Mixenden Chapel }'ard.

He was succeeded by the Rev. John Dean, who was
his son-in-law, and who ministered there from 1768 to 18 13.
Mr. Dean was treasurer to the Bradford Library when it was
formed in 1774, and w^as father-in-law to the late Mr. C. H.
Dawson, of Royds Hall. During Mr. Dean's ministry the
congregation became Lhiitarian.

5-i

Rambles Round H or ton.

From 1813 to 18 17 the chapel had for its minister the
Rev. Henry Turner, whose name is yet fresh and honoured.
He left to occupy the important pulpit of the High Pavement,
Nottingham, where he succeeded Dr. Hutton, but died there
in 1822, in the thirtieth year of his age.

To him succeeded the Rev. Nicholas Heinekin, the son
of a Bremen merchant, and a Lutheran, who had come to
London and joined the ranks of the Old Dissent. He was

Old Gateway, Chapel Lane.

born in London, March 8th, 1763, and is still remembered
with respect and affection. He died suddenly in 1840.

The Rev. George Vance Smith, B.A., was the minister
from 1 841 to 1843, when he removed to Macclesfield, and after-
wards to Birmingham. The Rev. G. V. Smith subsequently
acquired the degree of doctor of divinity, and had the honour
of forming one of the body entrusted with the Revised
Version of the Scriptures.

Rambles Round Norton. 55

From 1844 to 1864, the Rev. John Howard Ryland
ministered. Mr. Ryland was a gentleman of very active
habits, and took a prominent part in the work of the
Mechanics' Institute, of which he was president in 1858.
He was very generally respected in Bradford.

In 1845 the Dissenters' Chapels Bill encouraged the
congregation to make improvements in the old chapel. A
new vestry was built and new schools projected, which were
opened the following year. In 1846 also a fresh batch of
trustees was appointed, comprising C. H. Dawson, of Royds
Hall, his sons, C. H. Dawson, jun., Joseph Dawson, and John
Dawson ; Joseph Swaine, of Gomersal, cloth maker ; Edward
Swaine, Gomersal, cloth maker ; John Swaine, Gomersal,
cloth maker ; Wm. Ed. Swaine, Leeds, merchant ; Thomas
Ilollings, Manningham, gentleman ; Stephen Humble, Idle,
gentleman ; Alfred Bankart, Bradford, worsted spinner ; and
Charles Bankart, Bradford, woolstapler. Of this number
only Mr. John Dawson, living at Exmouth, remains upon
the trust.

Mr. Ryland retired in 1864, and was succeeded in that
year by the Rev. T. W. Freckelton. On the removal of Mr.
Freckelton in 1866 to Plymouth, the Rev. Richard Pilcher,
B.A., London, was chosen minister. Subsequent ministers
have been the Rev. W. J. Knapton, who afterwards joined the
Church of England ; the Rev. Robert Laird Collier, D.D.,
and the Rev. J. Cuckson.

The chapel was endowed by Jeremy Dixon, one of the
old trustees, who, by his will, dated 22nd February, 1724, gave
a farm at Denholme, called Birchin Lee, to the trustees of the-
chapel. The income from this source now realises about
^100 per annum. New schools were erected in 1867, and
in February, 1868, the corner-stone of the present hand-
some chapel was laid by Mr. Edward Swaine, of York,
whose family had been connected with the chapel from
its foundation. The style of the erection is Gothic, the
accommodation is for 500 worshippers, and the cost was
about ^5400.

At the corner of IManchester Road there was formerly a
garden gate admitting to the grounds of Spring House, at

56 Rambles Roimd Horton.

one time the property of Isaac Willson, clerk of the Court of
Requests, This house was in danger of being sacked by an
exasperated mob in 1793, in consequence of the unpopularity
of Mr. Willson or of his office. More recently it was the
residence of Mr. W'm. Bacon, and subsequently of his widow,
a lady well known for her piety and benevolence. Her father
was Mr. John Balme, a worsted manufacturer. He built the
house subsequently occupied as a Baptist College at Horton.
Mr. Balme was a zealous Independent, and was one of the
parties to the original trust of Horton Lane Chapel, erected
in 1782.

Mr. Bacon, of Spring House, died in 1818 ; and Mary,
his widow, in 1853, aged eighty-three. By her will Mrs.
Bacon left ^1000 each to the following institutions : — the
Bible Society, the London Missionary Society, and the Home
Missionary Society, and a sum of i," 12,000, the proceeds of
which were to be devoted to the relief of aged and infirm
ministers, their widows and daughters. Her sister, Miss
Sarah Balme, was equally benevolent in disposition, and in
accordance with her request, valuable property at Undercliffe
and Fagley was conveyed to the trustees of Airedale College
(then at Idle), and upon a portion of which a college was
afterwards built.

Another daughter of John Balme was married to Samuel
Broadley, who lived in the house in Kirkgate upon the site
of which the Bradford Banking Company's premises were
erected. She died in 1825, bequeathing large sums for charit-
able purposes, including ^^^5000 to Horton Baptist College.

Directly opposite to Mrs. Bacon's house was situate the
Bowling Alley, to which in times past the well-to-do people of
the "town-end" resorted for a bout at bowls. A portion of this
ground was acquired about the year 1836 for the erection of
the Ebenezer Chapel, which stood upon the boundary line
dividing Horton from Bradford. The movement for the
erection of this place of worship originated with Mr. Wm.
Grandage, of Brownroyd, who, having been connected with the
New Connexion denomination in his native town of Halifax,
gathered together a few persons in sympathy with himself
upon coming to Bowling Dyeworks. Being but "feeble folk,"

Rambles Round H or ton. 57

however, they were unable to afford the high price of ;!62 per
yard asked for a corner plot at the end of Thornton Road, but
accepted the offer of the Rev. Godfrey Wright of the site at
the bottom of Horton Road, at the price of £\ per yard for
700 yards. The parties to the deed of purchase were Wm.
Grandage ; John Carter, banker's clerk ; John Fearnside, Green
Row ; Wm. Ackroyd, grocer, Manchester Road ; and two
others. Mr. Grandage was also the first class-leader. The
new building cost about £1700, exclusive of the ;^700 paid for
the ground.

The first minister was the Rev. Wm. Trotter, who
officiated with such acceptance that soon the membership was
raised to over 150 persons. After a few years, however,
serious discord was created among the congregation by the
conduct of the Rev. Joseph Barker, a minister of the
denomination settled at Leeds, who, being on terms of great
intimacy with Mr. Trotter, induced him to join in the
editorship of a magazine giving publicity to doctrines which
by the orthodox New Connexionists were considered unsound.
Both individuals were ultimately expelled the Connexion,
although, so far as Mr. Trotter was concerned, that course was
regarded with great regret by the congregation worshipping
at Ebenezer. In consequence of this unpleasantness, a portion
of the congregation seceded and erected a small chapel in
Croft Street, Mr. Trotter taking charge of it. After a
lingering existence the separationists collapsed.

The Ebenezer Chapel being pronounced unsafe, from
some defect in its construction, it was rebuilt in 1861 upon an
improved model, but that edifice has also disappeared, owing
to the property having been scheduled in the Bradford
Improvement Act of 1873, the Corporation at that time
contemplating the construction of a thoroughfare in con-
tinuation of Manchester Road to Thornton Road. That
project, however, has never been carried out, but the
scheduling of the property led the congregation to secure
another site, resulting in the erection of the present handsome
edifice at Mannville, Horton Road. That chapel was opened
on March 26th, 1879, and with the adjoining school buildings
cost nearl}- ^20,000.

58 Rambles Round Horton.

There were formerly two good houses adjoining the site
of Ebenezer Chapel, and now forming part of the Old Brewery-
premises, about which were many interesting associations. In
one of them, nearest to Brewery Lane, lived John Hardy, the
grandfather of Lord Cranbrook, and here was born his son
John, returned in 1832 as one of the first members of
Parliament for Bradford. Mr. Hardy previously resided at
Horsforth. He used to attend Bradford in his professional
duties, and eventually removed here, having succeeded to the
business of Mr. John Eagle, a solicitor who piloted the first
Leeds and Liverpool Canal Act, and eventually Mr. Hardy
was its solicitor and law clerk. He was also one of the first
partners of the Low Moor Iron Works. There was a base-
ment room to the back of the house at the bottom of Great
Horton Road, which was his office. In this office Mr. Samuel
Hailstone served his articles with Mr. Hardy, afterwards
joining him in partnership. The office, however, was after-
wards removed to the corner house at Brewery Lane, and
there the business was carried on for some years, and when
Mr. Hardy ceased practice it became Mr. Hailstone's property.
Previous to that occurring Mr. Hardy had removed to the
Manor Hall in Kirkgate.

Mr. Samuel Hailstone came to Bradford from York in
the year 1783, and lived in a house in the Old Market, in
Westgate, just above the Central Coffee Tavern. After
succeeding to Mr. Hardy's practice, Mr. Hailstone took into
partnership Mr. Mason, who became a partner in the Bowling
Ironworks, and gave up his profession, marrying a Miss
Barber, the daughter of a Bradford attorney. Mr. Paley
married another daughter, and the fortunes they received
were put into the Bowling Ironworks, along with that
invested by the Sturges family. At one time Mr. Hailstone
had the late Greenwood Bentley for a partner, and afterwards
he took in Mr. John Thompson (the elder brother of the
present Mr. Jo. Thompson). Mr. Thompson married a Miss
Skelton, the sister of Colonel Skelton, and lived in the house
where Mr. Hardy did. He and his wife were passengers
in the ill-fated Rothsay Castle, wrecked in Menai Straits in
1 83 1, and both perished.

Rdfiib/es Roiiud H or ton. 59

Mr. Hailstone removed to a small house in Great Horton
Road, where he erected the first greenhouse perhaps seen
in Bradford, and after he left it the house was enlarged
and occupied as a school by the Rev. S. Redhead, who
married Miss Rand, and was the first clergyman of the old
Bell Chapel. About the commencement of the present
century, Mr. Hailstone bought Croft House from the Faber
family and largely increased it, and resided there with his
family till 1834 or 1835, when he removed to Horton Hall,
previously occupied by Mr, John Wood. In 1837 Mr.
Hailstone offered for sale the whole of the land lying
between Croft House and Bridge Street, which had formed
the orchard and grounds to Croft House, and it was bought
up for building ground. The demolition of Croft House
followed some time after the formation of Croft Street.

Mr. Hailstone died in December, 185 1, in the eighty-
third year of his age. His connection as law clerk with
the Leeds and Liverpool Canal was of long standing, and
to the close of his professional career he sustained a
prominent part in its affairs. When he joined as a share-
holder, the shares were at a discount of £^0, but his sagacity
led him to look for a very different state of things, and, as is
well known, the navigation became a most lucrative concern.
His legal practice also was large, and of a high-class
character. Mr. Hailstone was a gentleman of high scientific
culture, a good botanist and geologist, and possessed a
considerable love for the pursuits of natural philosophy.
For his attainments he was elected a fellow of the Linnean
Society.

Mr. Hailstone had several sons. One son, Samuel, died
at Horton Hall. Another .son, the Rev. John Hailstone, was
vicar of Bottisham, Cambridgeshire, afterwards of Anglesea
Abbey, in the same county, and died in 1872.

His youngest son, the present Mr. Edward Hailstone,
F.S.A., was born at Croft House. In one way or other
this gentleman has been connected with the legal profession
for half a century, and for the last thirty-three years has been
the law clerk of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Company.
Since the year 1870 Mr. Hailstone has resided at Walton

60 Rambles Round Horttni.

Hall, near Wakefield, formerly the abode of the eccentric
naturalist. Squire Waterton, and has long enjoyed the
reputation of possessing one of the largest and most valuable
pri\'ate collections of books, manuscripts, and antiquarian
treasures in the north of England. In local literature and
MS. the Walton collection is specially rich, and its resources
have been largely drawn upon in the compilation of works
relating to the history of Bradford. Indeed, to Mr. Hailstone
we are much indebted for material required in the preparation
of these papers on Horton — a place in which, from long
association, he maintains more than ordinary interest.

The Rev. Lamplugh Wickham, who took the name of
Hird, and was the father of Mr. H. W. Wickham, M.P.,
resided in the old house nearest to Ebenezer Chapel, and
Mr. George Anderton and Mr. Titus Salt were subsequent
occupants.

Rajnb/cs RoiDid Hortoii. ci

CHAPTER VI.

The Old Brewery— Richard Fawcett — Early Methodism— Old Octagon Chapel —
Randal Well — The Mann F'amily — Early Independency — Horton Lane Chapel —
Former Ministers.

Excepting the Old Brewery, we have already noticed all
the objects of interest at the "town end" of Bradford calling
for special reference. Unlike some of the landmarks in the
immediate vicinity which have given place to new creations,
that institution still survives, having long ago entered upon
the second century of its existence. It is therefore ju.stly
entitled to its appellation as the Old Brewery. The date of
its origin is the year 1757, when Joseph Storey and Thomas
Aked, of Bradford, were in partnership as common brewers
with John Whitaker, of Halifax. In 1763 Aked and Storey
conveyed their shares to Whitaker, who was succeeded by
his son William. Benjamin Thompson, uncle of Mr, M. W.
Thompson, married a daughter of Wm. Whitaker, and upon
Mr, M. W, Thompson marrying his uncle's surviving daughter,
he became the sole owner of the Old Brewery. Considerable
interest attaches to the Thompson family through several
of its members, but as they have had more immediate
connection with the township of Manningham than with
that of Horton, we may defer further reference until we
touch upon Manningham. Mr. Henry Oates, of Fieldhead,
Mr. James Marshall, ironmonger, Kirkgate, Mr. Tho.s, Pullan,
and Mr. Henry Leah were formerly partners in the brewery
along with Mr. Whitaker.

Having disposed of the " town end," we arc prepared to
ascend to the upper portions of Horton township, and, in
making a start, occupy a similar position to that in which Mr.
Gladstone was once placed, in having " three courses " open
to us. We may ascend either by way of Mancliester Road,
Horton Lane, or Horton Road. A more convenient arrange-
ment, however, remains, namely, to notice what objects of
interest attract our attention in that portion of Little Horton

62 Rambles Ronud H or ton.

lying nearest to our present standpoint, leaving the higher
portions for future reference.

An examination of the township survey of 1801 is
suggestive of several names of residents in the lower part
of Horton Road, in addition to those already mentioned,
and among them are those of Thomas Hodgson, Richard
Fawcett, and John Wood, sen. These were all substantial
men of the period. The gentleman last named, who resided
in the good house at the bottom of Mann Lane, called
Southbrook Lodge, commenced the erection of what after-
wards became Messrs. Wood & Walker's worsted factory.
The purpose for which that building was erected, however,
was not that of worsted spinning, but the manufacture of
horn, ivory, and tortoise-shell combs, lanterns, leather ink-
bottles, &c., for which the town of Bradford had a reputation
before it became famous for worsteds. It was Mr. John
Wood, jun., who, with townsmen like Richard Fawcett and
others, established the worsted industry.

Mr. Fawcett was an eminent Hortonian, having been
born at Hunt Yard, Great Horton, where his father, a nephew
of Dr. Fawcett, the celebrated divine, resided. As we
have seen, Mr. Fawcett erected a factory in Union Street,
besides owning the mill in the Holme, in the earliest
stage of development through which the worsted industry
was passing. So identified was he with the district in
which we are immediately concerned, that to this day "old
inhabitants " speak of Fawcett Holme and Fawcett Hill.
Upon the little knoll bearing the latter name Mr. Fawcett
erected Westbrook House, the position being regarded as one
of the most favoured in Bradford. From the windows of his
residence there was not only a good view across the Holme
valley, down which meandered a clear running stream, but
there was an uninterrupted view of green fields on the other
side in the direction of the Bowling valley.

While comparatively young Mr. Fawcett entered with
energy into business, and in conjunction with his father, also
named Richard, he purchased the interest of Messrs. Swaine
and Ramsbotham in the Holme Mill. He was also a
gentleman of great public enterprise, and took part in all

Rambles Round Norton.

movements in which the welfare of his native town or fellow-
townsmen was concerned. He was one of the old Highway
Commissioners created by the Act of 1803, and fulfilled the
duties for forty-two years. Mr. Fawcett was in fact the
leading man of his time, and to such an extent was he so
regarded by his fellow-townsmen that he was often familiarly
styled " King Richard." Unfortunately, his various schemes
of enterprise suffered from commercial depression and other
causes, and he died in 1845, if not a wealthy at lea.st an
honoured citizen. Mr. Fawcett was one of the old type of
Wesleyans, with a strong attachment to the Church of
England, and one of his sons, the late Canon Fawcett, M.A.,

Octagon Chapel.

who married a sister of Mr. H. W. Wickham, M.P., was for
over thirty years incumbent of Holy Trinity Church, Low
Moor. Another son was the late Mr. Richard Fawcett,
woolstapler.

In immediate contiguity to Wcstbrook House there
stood, until the year 18 10, the old Octagon Chapel, the
first place of worship erected by the Wesleyans of Bradford.
In addition to the undoubted interest attaching to it from
this circumstance, the building, from the peculiarity of its
construction — having eight sides to it — elicited the remark of
John Wesley that it was "the largest octagon we have in

64 Rambles Roujut H or ton.

England, and the first of the kind where the roof is built with
common sense, rising only a third of its breadth." The
dimensions of the chapel were fifty-four feet square. It was
opened during the summer of 1766.

Ten years before, however, the disciples of Wesley in
Bradford had been gathered into a congregation, according
to the Rev. W. VV. Stamp, the historian of Methodism in
Bradford, when the second floor of a large building near the
Cock-pit in Aldermanbury, having been vacated by the
Baptists, was rented by the society. To this, doubtless, Mr.
Wesley refers when in 1757 he observes in his journal : —

Thursday, May 12th. — The latter end of the week I spent in
Bradford. Sunday, 15th. — At five the house contained the congregation,
but at eight they covered the plain adjoining it

From the east end of the building, where Mr. Wesley
stood when addressing the multitude, " the plain " to the Sun
Inn, was then an open space, interrupted only by the beck
and the old prison which stood on the site of what are now
denominated the Sun Bridge Buildings, whilst to the right,
with the exception of three houses forming the west side of
Tyrrel Street and one or two small cottages intervening, was
a yet further extension of " the plain." Such, with fields
extending where Thornton Road now runs, together with the
deserted cockpit and dog kennel in juxtaposition, was the
neighbourhood in which this early preaching-house was
situate.

During the interval of Mr. Wesley's visits in 1759 and
1 76 1 the room near the cockpit, being deemed no longer safe,
was given up ; and Mr. James Garnett, piecemaker, then
residing at the Paper Hall, kindly offered the use of his barn
in Barkerend until better accommodation could be secured.
The offer was at once and thankfully accepted, and there for
a season the services of Methodism were regularly held. Mr.
Stamp also states that Mr. Garnett, to whom Methodism was
thus indebted for its second sanctuary in Bradford, was for
several years a member of the society. Eventually, however,
in conjunction with Messrs. Smith, Balme, Hodgson, and
others he assisted in founding an Independent church,
meeting for awhile in an upper room in the Brewery yard,

Rambles Round Horfon. 65

and then removing to a newly-erected chapel in Little
Horton Lane.

In the autumn of the year 1765 land was purchased for
the erection of a Wesleyan chapel in Horton Road. The
deed, which bears date December 21st, 1765, describes the
purchase as an assignment on lease of 999 years, subject to
an annual rent of £1 12s., of "all that close or parcel of
arable, meadow, or pasture ground called or commonly known
by the name of the Hilly Close, formerly in the possession or
occupancy of Edward Jobson, and late of Thomas Aked,
deceased, and containing two days' work, be the same more
or less, situate in Horton, in the parish of Bradford."

The property was conveyed to the following persons as
trustees : — Richard Stocks, grocer and draper, Bradford ;
John Hodgson, stuff maker, Horton ; Henry Atkinson, stuff
maker, Manningham ; Nathaniel Dracup, shuttle maker,
Horton ; Ebenezer Pyrah, stuff maker, Wibsey ; John Butler,
stuff maker, Bradford (afterwards of Kirkstall Forge) ; and
John Murgatroyd, stuff maker, Horton. What subscriptions
were obtained towards the erection of the Octagon in
Bradford, or what the collections at its opening, does not
appear, but it is upon record that when John Murgatroyd and
Richard Fawcett (father of the Richard Fawcett who in after
years played so prominent a part in Bradford) sallied forth
on a collecting expedition, the first contribution received was
the magnificent sum of twopence towards the outlay of
;^997 8s. 9d. !

In order that the services might not interfere with those
of the Parish Church, the times of worship at the Octagon
were nine in the morning, two in the afternoon, and five in
the evening ; nor was it till the removal to Kirkgatc, fort}-
years afterwards, that the Sacrament was administered in
the Methodist chapels of Bradford. In the }ear 1767, a
preacher's house was erected adjoining the chapel, the whole
expense of both house and furniture being under ^^200. In
1 8 10 the property, including the chapel and adjoining houses,
was sold to Mr. Richard Fawcett, jun., for ^"1575, and that
gentleman subsequently purchased the adjacent plot and
built upon it Westbrook House, where he resided, the chapel
E

66 Rambles Round Hortoii.

site being disposed of to Thomas Horsfall. Kirkgate Chapel
was opened in May, i8ii. It has received enlargement
several times since. While not recording further the history
of the Kirkgate sanctuary, we may note as a curiosity that
the bottom step of the flight in front of the chapel is said to
be the longest stone ever delved in these parts. It is 22 ft.
long, and came from Copy Delf.

Randal Well Close, adjoining the old Octagon Chapel,
originally formed part of Sagar's Charity land, left by James
Sagar in 1665, out of the proceeds of which 20s. yearly was
to be paid to the minister of Thornton Chapel, and the
residue to the most needful poor of Thornton. The close
obtained its name from the existence of a spring of water
arising in a small plantation near the side of the beck.
Formerly there was a draw-well there, but when Mr. Fawcett
purchased the Holme Mill he put in a pipe from v.'hich the
residents of the neighbourhood, after crossing the beck by
means of a plank, obtained a never-failing supply. The
Randal Well was a common gossiping place up to the year
1820. The well is now enclosed in Messrs. Thwaites Bros.'
engineering works.

Within a short distance of the Randal Well Close was
reared a mansion of some pretensions called Mannville,
associated with the family of Mann. This family is of
some interest, from the fact that they were the first stuff
merchants in Bradford. The family sprang from. Spen Hall,
Cleckheaton. Thomas Mann seems to have been the first
to come to Bradford, where he commenced business in
the woollen drapery trade in a shop at the corner turning
into the yard still known as Mann's Court, in Kirkgate. He
also embarked in the artificial cork-leg trade, by which he
obtained much popularity and mone}'. These cork-legs were
covered v.ith leather by John Brunton, a leather breeches
maker, and great Southcottian, whom Rushton celebrates in
one of his effusions against Southcottianism as " the cripple
mender." It is said they v/ere really tlie invention of one
David Haigh, whom Mann employed. This cork-leg business
was afterwards sold to Mr. Swithenbank, who carried it on
until a late period in premises in Toad Lane. Thomas Mann,

Rambles Round H or ton. 67

however, seems to have had both this business and the shop in
Kirkgate on his hands when he, with his brother John, started
the business of stuff merchants, which yielded the family-
considerable wealth. This business was carried on in a
warehouse behind the shop. John Mann, the brother, built
Springfield House, now occupied by Sir Jacob Rehrens, in
Manningham Lane.

Thomas Mann erected Mannville, in Great Horton Road,
which is said to be built both inside and out with dressed
stone. He had three sons, Joshua, John, of Boldshay Hall,
and Thomas, who were united, as they came of age, with
their father and uncle in the stuff trade. Joshua succeeded
his father at Mannville, where he died, and Mr. John Rawson,
the solicitor, lived there afterwards for some years.

John Mann, of Manningham Lane, the uncle, was married
but had no children. He brought up a daughter of his brother
Robert, of Spen Hall, and left her most of his property.
She married Mr. W. M. Harris. Joshua, of Mannville, died
a bachelor, and left his property to Miss Wells, his niece, the
daughter of Mr, Wells, who married his sister. Thomas died
a bachelor. John resided at Boldshay Hall, and had a family.

Another place of worship, the congregation of which
during the year 1882 celebrated its centenary — was erected
not far from the Octagon, namel}-. Horton Lane Chapel.
The history of the congregation of Independents worshipping
at Horton Lane is in great measure bound up with that of
Chapel Lane already noticed. Among the congregation
worshipping at the latter place were many who were unable
to accept the Unitarian creed which, under the influence of
Mr. Dean's teaching, was substituted for the old Presb}-terian
doctrine of the Trinity, and being joined by a few Episco-
palians, and others whose doctrines were in harmony
with those of Whitfield, but whose church principles were
Congregational, united in forming an Independent Church.
This was in the year 1780. For twelve or eighteen months
they met in the malt chamber of the Old Brewery, meanwhile
making arrangements to build a more suitable place in which
to assemble for worship. Hence the erection of Horton Lane
Chapel.

68 Rambles Roitnd H or ton.

From the original conveyance of the site of this chapel,
dated 20th December, 1781, we learn that the ground was
purchased from Charles Swain Booth Sharp, Esq., of Horton
Hall, by James Garnett, worsted stuff maker, of Bradford ;
John Smith, of Bradford, stationer ; Thomas Naylor, Brad-
ford, tobacconist ; William Wilkinson, Bradford, worsted stuff
maker; Thomas Hodgson, of Scholemoor, worsted stuff
maker; John Balme, Bradford, worsted stuff maker; Joseph
Wright, Bradford, worsted stuff maker ; Robert Benson,
Frizinghall, maltster ; Joseph Robinson, Idle, butcher ; Jonas
Smith, Bolton, carpenter ; William Smith, Wibsey, worsted
stuff maker ; and John Hutton, Eccleshill, cloth maker.

The land is described as " all that piece or parcel of land
situate, lying, and being in Horton aforesaid, containing
thirty-seven yards in length, as the same is railed off from the
bottom or north-east end of a close of land called the Croft,
the property and in the possession of the said Charles Swain
Booth Sharp ; up the said close, the breadth of the same
close ; which said piece of land abuts on the lane called
Little Horton Lane, on the south-east end thereof ; on a
piece of ground the property of Samuel Swaine on the north-
east side thereof ; on a close of land the property of Mr.
Bower on the north-west end thereof ; and on the remainder
of the said close of land from which the piece of land is
taken on the south-west side thereof." The amount of the
purchase money was ;^I22 los.

The trust deed contains a full enumeration of the articles
of faith of the pm'chasers, and also declares that if any of
the original trustees shall cease to be of the sect of Dissenters
above mentioned, or change their religious views, or that any
of them shall not attend at the intended place of worship for
the space of thirteen weeks, except prevented by sickness or
other evident call in Divine providence, that it shall be lawful
for the remaining trustees and the majority of the church
members to nominate and elect other persons in their place.
The deed is witnessed by John Brogden and Richard Milnes.
At a meeting, held in the vestry of the chapel, December 28,
1808, the following persons were chosen to act as trustees
in place of several who had died, viz. : — John Balme,

Rambles Round Horfo/i. 69

Richard Hargreaves, William Pearson, Benjamin Kaye, James
Wilkinson, Thomas Waddington, James Cousen, and Joseph
Smith.

In June, 1815, consequent on the "great increase
of population and of Dissenters in Bradford and the
neighbourhood," it was decided to extend the chapel by seven
yards, upon ground in the rear purchased from Mr. John
Bower, being portion of a close of land called Wilson Well
Croft. The amount of the purchase money was ^39 los.
The parties to the deed of purchase were Wm. Wilkinson,
Joseph Wright, Jonas Smith, Wm. Smith, and James Hutton
(original trustees), and James Cousen, woollen draper ; Thos.
Waddington, calico maker ; Jas. Wilkinson, cabinetmaker ;
Wm. Pearson, worsted spinner ; Benj. Kaye, Allerton,
merchant ; James Garnett, woolstapler ; Lister Naylor, tobacco
manufacturer ; Wm. Hargreaves, Idle, scribbler ; Abm. Balme,
worsted manufacturer ; William Smith, worsted manufacturer ;
Robert Milligan, linen draper ; John Bottomley, accountant ;
John Hutton, jun., Eccleshill, clothmaker ; PVancis Ackroyd,
worsted manufacturer ; John Bonnell, saddler ; and James
Hargreaves, Eccleshill, clothmaker.

An enlargement of the burial ground also took place in
1837 by the additional purchase from the Rev. Godfrey
Wright (who had succeeded to Mr. C. S. B. Sharp's estate) of
a piece of ground adjoining the minister's house, comprising
about three roods, for the sum of ^998, being at the rate of
5s. 6d. per yard. In addition to the surviving trustees the
parties to the deed of purchase were — Richard Garnett,
Joseph Smith, William Hardcastle, John Russell, James
Garnett, Robert Monies, Edward Riple}-, Henry William
Ripley, John McCroben, William Milnes, James Rennie,
Alexander Robertson, and Jonathan Holdsworth.

By successive enlargements Horton Lane Chapel and
Schools grew to the dimensions familiar to many of our
readers prior to their being supplanted by the present
handsome chapel and school premises. The first step
towards the erection of this imposing pile was the building of
the schools, which were opened on the 7th September, 1861,
and on the 9th September the foundation stone of the new

70 Rambles Round Hortoii.

chapel was laid by the late Sir H. W. Ripley, who was a
large contributor to the building fund. The completed
edifice was opened on September 30th, 1863, having cost
about i,"i 2,000. Of this large sum all but about £6^0 had
been received up to the close of the inaugural services, and
this small amount was subscribed the next morning.

During the hundred years' existence of Horton Lane
Chapel five pastors in succession have filled the pulpit. Of
this number the first only preached one Sunday, and died
during the following week. The second held the pastoral
office twenty-five years ; the third twenty-seven years ; the
fourth nineteen years ; and the fifth twenty-eight years.
Practically, therefore, the century's pastorate was discharged
by four ministers, giving an average of twenty-five years to
each.

The first pastor, the Rev. Jas. Crossley, was a native of
Saltonstall, in Warley ; he was a disciple of the Rev. W.
Grimshaw, incumbent of Haworth, and the first minister of
Booth Chapel. After twenty years' service at Booth, he was
induced to leave a people to whom he was much attached
and come to Bradford, but his ministry here was prematurely
cut short, for after preaching one Sunday he died.

The next minister was the Rev. Thos. Hoklgate, who
laboured from the year 1783 until 1807, the year of his death.
The only unpleasant episode of Mr. Holdgate's ministry so
far as any record exists, was brought about by the attempt
to introduce a bass viol into the singing-pew, and so bitter
were many of the congregation against it that it was but
rarely used.

The next pastor of the church was the Rev. Thomas
Taylor, who came from Ossett to Bradford in 1808, and
under whose ministrations Horton Lane Church and con-
gregation attained a position of considerable influence in
Bradford, comprising within its roll of membership the names
of Garnett, Milligan, Forbes, Salt, Ripley, and many others,
who were literally the makers of Bradford. Mr. Taylor was
a man of remarkable .shrewdness and strength of character,
and left the imprint of his mind and labours not only upon
his congregation, but upon the town of his adoption. He

Rambles Round Horton. 71

was greatly beloved and respected, and was familiarly known
and spoken of in the town as " good old Mr. Taylor." It was
during Mr. Taylor's ministry that Sunday schools were
established in Bradford, and two new congregations were sent
out from the parent chapel. After retiring from the pastorate
he lived to a serene old age, enjoying the profound respect of
all, and died in October, 1853.

Mr. Taylor having retired, the Rev. Jonathan Glyde
became his successor in the autumn of 1835. Mr. Glyde,
who was a native of Exeter, differed in many respects from
his predecessor. A man of original talent, of the purest type
of piety, high culture, and one of the gentlest of mankind, he
was greatly beloved by his congregation and fellow-townsmen.
After nineteen years of devoted pastoral work he died in the
forty-eighth year of his age, in December, 1854. The Rev.
James Robertson Campbell, D.D., entered upon the pastorate
at Horton Lane in 1855, having previously ministered at
Edinburgh. Dr. Campbell was a worthy successor of the
good men who had preceded him. Possessing many Christian
virtues, a gentleman of scholarly attainments,, and imbued
with a lofty regard for the responsible office of a Christian
minister, he ably filled the pulpit of Horton Lane Chapel
during a period of twenty-eight years, retiring only in the
autumn of 1883. Dr. Campbell's sudden death, in December,
1884, a little more than a year after he had resigned
his pastorate, is still a sorrow in the hearts of his former
charge.

After an interval of two years from Dr. Campbell's
retirement, the pastorate was accepted by the Rev. Dr.
Anderson, of Troy, U.S.A., a gentleman of great ability as a
preacher and a devoted pastor.

As the parent Independent Church in Bradford Horton
Lane has a numerous progeny. Of these may be named
the congregations at Wibsey, Little Horton, Lidget Green,
Eccleshill, Salem, Lister Hills, Saltaire, Bowling, Ryan Street,
and Laisterdyke, all directly springing from it. In addition
to this list may be named Borough West School, which, as an
elementary school, has long enjoyed a reputation of a high
order.

72 Rambles Round Horton.

CHAPTER VII.

St. John's Church — St. James's Church — Parson Bull — Bowling Lane — The Old
Skinhouse— Jacob Hudson — His Curious Will — The Blackburns — The Cordingleys
— Clayton Lane— Baptist College— Dr. Steadman.

St. John's Church, Manchester Road, was erected during
the years 1838-9, at the expense of Mr. J. Berthon, a
gentleman residing in the Isle of Wight, and under licence of
the Bishop of Ripon service was for some time performed in
it, but without any assigned reason it was then closed. For
several years afterwards the building remained unconsecrated,
the unfortunate loss of a sum of money set aside for the
endowment being stated to be the reason. In the year 1844
the church was offered for sale, but was afterwards consecrated
for public worship. It has subsequently been pulled down,
and upon the site a music-hall and theatre have been erected.
The new church of St. John the Evangelist in Horton Lane
was opened in its stead in 1871.

St. James's Church, Manchester Road, was erected at the
sole expense of Mr. John Wood, junior, of the firm of Messrs.
Wood & Walker, upon land purchased from the Fitzgeralds.
It is a handsome structure in the lancet style of Gothic
architecture, with accommodation for about 1200 worshippers.
The first stone was laid by the generous founder on October
31st, 1836, and he also endowed it, and erected the .school and
parsonage house adjoining. The cost of the whole was stated
to be about iJ"io,5oo. Mr. Walker Rawsthorne, an architect of
some repute in Bradford at that period, prepared the design.

The first incumbent of St. James's was the Rev. G. S.
Bull, or " Parson Bull," as he was frequently termed, who was
intimately associated with Mr. John Wood, the philanthropic
manufacturer, Richard Oastler, the Earl of Shaftesbury, and
others, in furthering the progress of the Factory Act or Ten
Hours Bill. It was during the agitation of that measure that
Mr. Wood proposed to erect and endow a church and schools
for the use of his workpeople, and he gave the appointment to
Mr. Bull, who was then officiating at Bierley Chapel. He was

Rambles Round Hart on. 73

fortunate in securing in Mr. Ikill a gentleman who was equally
at home in superintending building operations, in expounding
a sermon, or in delivering philippics from a platform. The
schools adjoining the church he built first, and there prepared,
as he used to say, the living stones by the time the material
church was ready to receive them. Mr. Hull personally
superintended the whole of the building works, both as regards
the parsonage, church, and schools. The rev. gentleman had
been in the navy, and on the erection of the church spire
" swarmed " up the scaffolding, and placed the capstone on the
top with his own hands.

It must not, however, be supposed that Parson Bull was
wholly absorbed in bricks and mortar. During the period
referred to he was faithfully preaching the Gospel, and making
speeches everywhere on behalf of the Church Missionary and
Pastoral Aid Societies, besides advocating the abridgment of
factory labour for children with fearless courage, vigorous
eloquence, and untiring perseverance. No wonder that the
name of Parson Bull became a household word throughout a
great part of the West Riding of Yorkshire It was never
known why Mr. Bull left Bradford, but in all probability the
unflinching position he took up on the factory question often
brought him into unpleasant collision with many whom he
otherwise might have counted among his friends. He, how-
ever, removed to Birmingham, and began afresh at the Church
of St. Matthew's before it was consecrated. The names of
two of his successors, the Rev. William Sherwood and Canon
Burfield, will also long be had in remembrance in connection
with St. James's Church.

As we have drifted into Manchester Road, or Bowling
Lane as it used to be called when St. James's Church
was erected, we may as well note the appearance of that
thoroughfare in the early part of the century. Long after
the abolition of the toll-bar at the " town end," there was one
placed at the top of the street leading down to St. James's
Church. Excepting a few houses clustered near the toll-bar,
almost the entire length of Bowling Lane towards Bradford
was destitute of buildings of any description. A little above
Mrs. Bacon's grounds there stood and still stands the maltkiln

74 Ranibies Round Horton.

owned by John Tordoff, and afterwards occupied by Thomas
Hill. At John Tordoff's house there lodged the first German
merchant who came to settle in business in Bradford. All
the land at the rear, extending to Horton Lane, was open,
and belonged to Mr. C. S. B. Sharp ; and the same remark-
applies to Miss Bower's land, extending up Manchester Road
from the maltkiln to Isaac Rountree's flour shop, near the
toll-bar.

Providence Primitive Methodist Chapel was erected in
1824, and about the same period Hope Street, King Street,
and Xlarence Street were laid out and filled with working-
class dwellings upon the " back-to-back " .system, principally
by Messrs. J. & R. Turner and Mr. John Wood. Owing
to the effects of a calamitous fire the chapel was totally
destroyed in 1861, and rebuilt shortly afterwards.

A similar fate befell the Borough Corn Mill opposite on
the 1st of January, 1874, after it had been much enlarged by
Messrs. James Ellis & Co., who purchased the property in
1870 from Messrs. W. & J. Pilling. Messrs. Pilling, who
had previously occupied Sams Mill, near Thiefscore Bridge,
completed the erection of their new mill in Manchester Road
in 1843. Messrs. Thomas Burnley & Co. were the builders,
and the engines and boilers were supplied by the Low Moor
Iron Company.

Upon the opposite side of the road there resided about
this period Mr. Wm. Murgatroyd, afterwards of Bankfield,
Bingley, his partner, Mr. Miles lUingworth, and Mr. John
Russell, the head of the firm of Russell, Douglas & Co.
Closely adjoining was the lawyer's office occupied and owned
by Mr. Samuel Hailstone — to whom reference has already
been made ; then came an open plot of ground belonging to
Miss Hartley, afterwards occupied by Mr. Robert Crosland's
engineering works; and next to this plot came Croft House,
purchased by Mr. Hailstone from Mr. Faber, of the firm of
Faber & Duffield, merchants, and bought by that gentleman
from a Mr. Edward Taylor.

The erection of Marshall's Mill in 18 18 led to the building
of a few houses in the neighbourhood of Portland Street, a
step followed shortly afterwards by Mr. VVm. Rand, who added

RiDiibles Round Horton. 75

many working-class dwellings to this street. Subsequently
Adelaide Street, Queen Street, Caledonia Street, and Mary-
gate sprang into existence, through the building enterprise of
Messrs. Jere. Parker, John Crook, Kd. Ripley, John Wood,
and others, the opposite side of the road occupied by Grafton
Street, Fitzgerald Street, &c., still remaining vacant. It will
thus be seen how comparatively new are the densely.packed
dwellings and shop property in Manchester Road. The new
road to Halifax was opened in 1826, and from that period
the name Bowling Lane gave place to that of Manchester
Road.

Beyond the toll-bar there is no object calling for special
reference except the old Skinhouse, situate near to Albion
Mill, one of the few homesteads of the .seventeenth century
remaining in this part of Horton. Above the entrance are

the initials | ^^h and the date 1660. The old Skinhouse

is typical of the period when the early stuffmakers of
Bradford farmed their own small estates, occupying them-
selves and their families alternately with the mixed labour of
weaving and combing, and tilling the land. Of this class
in the middle of last century was Jacob Hudson, woolcomber.
He was a man of industry and frugal habits, and in those
virtues his sober-minded wife Grace joined. She "jigged"
and he " straightened " until in the course of a few years, by
investing his savings in small parcels of wool, and working
them into tops, he was enabled to accomplish the grand
object of his heart — the purchase of an estate of land, and
accordingly bought and afterwards resided at the Skinhouse
estate, consisting of a farmhouse and twenty-two acres of land.
Jacob Hudson was a singular character in many respects.
He was a regular attendant at the old Presbyterian Chapel,
Chapel Lane, and a very worthy man, but he apparently
lacked a forgiving disposition, for we are told that on one
occasion a member of the congregation gave him some cause
of offence, and he declared that henceforth he would not sit in
the same building with him. Jacob went regularly to chapel,
but he never sat down in it. His remains, with those of his
wife, lie in the chapel yard.

76 Rambles Round Hovton.

Old Jacob, in making his will in 1772, did not forget that
his wife had greatly contributed to the getting of the estate ,
and determined (as they had no children) that her relations
should join with his in the benefit of it. He accordingly
determined that what had been gathered so hardly and come
into the family so slowly should never depart from it. Calling
in an old lawyer named Brogden (father of the last Mr.
Brogden, of Bradford), they concocted what they conceived
would bind it in the family to all eternity. Jacob gave
to each of nineteen persons (his relatives) and their heirs
sums varying from £\ to £6 a year out of the rents and
profits of the estate for ever, an arrangement which was
never to be altered.

But the law abhors what old Jacob loved — namely,
perpetuities, or keeping an estate in the same family for ever —
and the will was therefore soon pronounced to be in that
particular defective. As, however, he had so bound it that it
could not be sold, the estate still remained in the same
families, although the parties entitled to the rents had, through
very numerous descents, increased to a great number. Some
of them only received out of the estate a few shillings a year.
The estate was well adapted for building sites. It was
therefore resolved by the parties entitled to it, as the only
course for loosing old Jacob's bonds, that application should be
made to Parliament for an Act to enable them to sell it. The
application was made in 1848, and an Act obtained at great
expense enabling them to sell the property and divide the
proceeds — this being probably the first private estate bill ever
solicited from Bradford.

The Act above referred to enumerates the various
relatives who were made devisees under Jacob Hudson's will,
among them being Jacob Lister the elder, John Lister, Joseph
Lister, Mary and Grace Lister, John Lister of Tingley, Mark
Brook, John Booth, Grace Harrison, Mary Atkinson, Joseph
Gaunt, Jonathan Gaunt, Ann Birk, and Martin Gaunt,
being the names of persons mostly residing in Bradford
and its immediate neighbourhood. The estate out of which
the small annuities were to be paid was vested in John
Bower, Isaac Ilollings, James Garnett, and John Balme, as

Raiiiblcs Round Horfoji,

■■o

78 Rambles Round Horfon.

trustees. The trustees acting at the period of the passing of
the Act were Messrs. Richard Garnett, James Garnett, Wm.
Hardcastle, and Joseph Smith, and upon the three trustees
first named devolved the disposal of the estate. In addition
to the homestead, there were several closes of land, called the
Five Day Work, the Croft, the Low Field, the Great Ing, the
Round Hill, and the Andrew, occupied by Benj. Blaymires,
and other closes in the occupation of John Cordingley and
Samuel Cordingley, besides two closes of land in Horton
called the Upper and Lower Westcroft.

The Cordingleys had, long prior to 1848, the date of the
Hudson Estate Act, occupied a portion of Jacob Hudson's
estate, and being fellmongers gave the appellation of the
Skinhouse to the building. \\\ 1801 James Cordingley and
Abraham Blackburn occupied the estate betwixt them. The
latter was the father of Mr. Bailey Blackburn, of Bradford,
and was a maltster and corn merchant. In 1812 he removed
to Cropper Lane, and had a lease of the Soke Mills,
at Bradford. The Blackburn family originally came from
Knaresbro' Forest.

A singular and fatal incident befell James Cordingley
during his occupancy in October, 1827. Either from pleasure
or in order to guard his premises he kept several ferocious
dogs, which at night were allowed to roam at large. This
circumstance proved fatal to their master, for, returning home
one night somewhat inebriated, the dogs did not recognise his
voice, and worried him upon his own doorstones to such an
extent that he died. A mysterious fatality also attached to
that portion of the homestead inhabited by the Blamires
family, who succeeded Abraham Blackburn in a portion of the
Skinhouse ; John Blamires was found dead in the garden in
front of the house, with his head overhanging a well which still
exists.

The Skinhouse was purchased along with an adjoining
close of land by Mr. Thomas Dewhirst, of Laisterdyke, in
1850, this being the first purchase under the Act obtained by
Hudson's trustees, and upon the vacant land adjoining Mr.
Dewhirst erected Albion Mill. The remaining building
ground still perpetuates the name of its former eccentric

Rambles Round Horton. 79

proprietor, one of the. streets being named Jacob Street and
another Skinhouse Street.

Following the lead of Manchester Road from the
Skinhouse we should soon cross the boundary dividing
Horton from Bowling, so must retrace our steps, noticing by
the way that the Lister's Arms Inn, in the immediate locality,
dates from the opening of the new road to Halifax in 1826,
having been erected by Mr. Ellis Cunliffe Lister, who owned
considerable property in the neighbourhood. Prior to its
erection there had been a "public" at P^our Lane Ends, just
behind the Skinhouse, kept by William Blackburn, brother of
Abraham Blackburn, who removed to the Lister's Arms in
the new road when the licence was transferred there. In
November, 1828, he was succeeded b}' John Blackburn, who
was landlord until 1841. For some time after its erection
there was no public-house between the Lister's Arms and the
New Inn in Tyrrel Street upon one side, and the Craven
Heifer in Smiddles Lane on the other. The house was made
use of by passing coaches, a large copper kettle being kept on
the hob in winter time filled with good home-brewed, and
spiced with sugar and ginger for the comfort of passengers.
The back parlour of the house was generally patronised on a
Sunday morning b}' a icw celebrities, who, after the beadle
with his staff, and John Andrew his constable, had paid their
morning visit, discussed the events of the week while
enjoying their home-brewed — for there were little spirits
consumed in those days.

Clayton Lane took its name from John Clayton, who
erected a substantial house, dated 1776, in that remote
thoroufrhfare. In the same lane there once existed a
Jerusalemite Church, where in former times assembled a
goodly number of the disciples of Johanna Southcott. An
interesting chapter might be written of the vagaries of this
body of misguided fanatics, led by Prophet Wroe, but their
peculiar doctrines were not confined to the township of
Plorton. A little higher up Clayton Lane was erected in
1839 a Wesleyan Chapel to commemorate the centenary of
Methodism. It has since been superseded by the more
graceful erection called Annesley Chapel. The top ol

80 Rambles Round H art on.

Clayton Lane once rejoiced in the name of Sodom, the
immediate locahty being the abode of hand-combers and
others engaged at " Dick Smith Mill."

The Baptist College, situate near the top of what is now
known as Park Road, was founded under the auspices of the
Northern Baptist Education Society in the year 1805. The
premises occupied for the academic studies and residence of the
young men intended for the ministry, comprising a warehouse
and dwellinghouse, were purchased from Mr. John Balme in

1 8 17, and were rebuilt in 1825. Towards the foundation of
this institution removed to its present site at Rawdon in 1859)
Samuel Broadley, of Bradford, gave ;^5000, and other Baptists
very liberal sums.

The Rev. Wm. Steadman, D.D., was the sole tutor until

1818, when he became minister at Westgate Chapel. He died
in 1837, and was succeeded as president and theological
tutor by the Rev. James Acworth, LL.D., the Rev. Francis
Clowes being classical tutor. Dr. Steadman was a native of
Herefordshire, and a man whose learning was of solid
foundation, being blessed with a memory so retentive that what
he once learnt he always retained. Of his character as a
Christian teacher much has been already published. His
sympathies were of the broadest, with a special leaning
towards those less endowed in intellectual gifts than himself
Personally he was somewhat ungainly in appearance. His
corpulent personage, awkward manners, negligent dress,
well-known cough, bad e}'esight, and singular physiognomy,
although yet dimly remembered by few, are gilded over by the
image of the old doctor as he sallied forth, staff in hand, upon
some errand of mercy, with his pockets full of apples for
children, and with more valuable gifts for those of larger
growth. During the long period of forty-six years he
preached about 1 1,000 times, baptized 700 professed disciples,
educated for the ministry about lOO young men, attended
more than 100 ordinations, and officiated at the opening of
forty places of worship !

During the period when Dr. Steadman was in his prime,
and even up to the time of his death in 1837, Little Horton
Lane was a solitary part of the town. Between Horton Lane

Rambles Roiiiid Hortou. 81

Chapel and Rand's Mill there was a stretch of open fields
extending to Melbourne Place, where the first break- in the
monotony was made by Mr. Jonathan Cordingley in 1838, by
the erection of a house fronting to Horton Lane. The late
Mr. Wm. Andrews followed suit a little higher up on the other
side of the lane, a retired Scotch gentleman named Corson
erecting an adjoining residence, and shortly afterwards Mr.
Joseph Smith, land agent, built the house long occupied by
him. The opening out of the estates of Colonel Fitzgerald,
of Boldshay Hall, brought into existence Fitzgerald Street
and other outlets to Manchester Road. For some time after
this, however, a toll-bar stood at the top of George Street, now
Grafton Street.

8'2 Rmnbles Round Horton.

CHAPTER VIII.

Horton House — Joseph Hinchliffe, Schoolmaster — The leister Family, of Horton
and Shibden — ^Joseph Lister, Historian — The Fitzgeralds — Lawrence Sterne,
Author of " Tristram Shandy."

From the point at which we have arrived in these
" rambles " a good view is obtainable of Horton House, which
is only divided by a lawn from Horton Lane. In former days
the greensward in front of the house generally presented a
lively aspect, the adjoining residence being at that time an
academy for young gentlemen, kept by Joseph Hinchliffe.
A generation ago this scholastic establishment was held in
high repute for the excellence of the teaching given there.
Not a few gentlemen of Bradford and the neighbourhood
who subsequently attained exalted positions owed their ;

educational training to Joseph Hinchliffe, and for many years
his former pupils formed a " Hinchliffe Club," and dined
together once a year. One of his assistants was Mr. Joseph j

Riley, a gentleman who afterwards gained a reputation as a V

schoolmaster at Rawdon and Steeton, subsequently removing
to Pannal, near Harrogate. His brother Edmund Riley,
another Bradford schoolmaster, also received his training as
assistant at Horton House Academy. We believe that Mr.
Hinchliffe took up the teaching connection of Mr. Nesbitt, a
celebrated schoolmaster in Westgate, whose works on "Mensu-
ration" and " Arithmetic" had a far more than local reputation.

Mr. Hinchliffe v/as a Moravian, and chiefly through his \

influence the Moravian Chapel at Holme Top was erected. ]

He was also most zealous in teaching the young collier lads i

at Wibsey, gathering them on Sundays for that purpose at
the place of worship long maintained by the Moravians at
Chapel Fold, Brownroyd Hill. Mr. Hinchliffe was the author
of several works on the art of speaking ; and one of them,
entitled the " Academic Speaker," illustrated with plates,
attained some reputation, and he also published several books
of poems. Mr. Hinchliffe was a man of a very active and
energetic mind, and fully alive to the all-important duties of

Rambles Round H or ton. 83

his position. His bodily activity was so great that he might
be Htcrally said to be ahvays occupied. The hitter years of
his life were, however, unfortunately embittered by the loss
of the greater portion of his hard-earned savings, which,
although invested with care and apparent prudence, were lost
by others over whom he had no control. As soon, however,
as his difficulties became known, his former pupils formed a
committee and immediately raised amongst themselves a very
substantial pecuniary testimonial, amounting to upwards of
;!^700 ; thus alleviating, as far as possible, the pain which loss
of property almost invariably occasions to those who have no
longer the physical power to retrieve their position. Mr.
Hinchliffe was interred at the Moravian settlement at Fulneck
in April, 1853, aged seventy-two years.

Horton House at the period of which we write was the
property but not the residence of Colonel Fitzgerald, who
lived at Boldshay Hall, Barkerend. The property came to
him, however, by his marriage with the daughter of Dr.
Crowtlier, who had married a niece of Samuel Lister, of
Horton. The Lister family, therefore, were the ancient
possessors of Horton House, and bore the same arms (ermine
on a fess sable, three mullets or, a canton gules), and were,
like the Listers of Ovenden and Shibden, descended from
the Listers of the township of Halifax.

The Listers of Horton may be traced to a remote period
in local history. From abundant documentary evidence
before us it appears that the family held land in Northowram
by copy of court roll in succession from father to son from
the year 1422. The descent of the family might even be
traced to the year 1272, when Bate le Lister, or, according
to the Latin rendering, " tinctor," of Halifax, purchased half
an acre of land in Northowram, in Hipperholme greaveship,
of William of Halifax, the miller (molendinarius). From
him descended John Bate-son, living in 1329, and Richard,
son of Bate. In 1382 Robert Lister, probably the son of
Richard, had a licence for dyeing granted to him tor life
by the Monastery of Lewes, the priors whereof v/ere lords
of the manor of Halifax, and he served as constable of
Halifax in 1372.

84 Rambles Round H or ton.

From the above enumeration we derive some interesting
information as to the origin of names. A dyer in remote
times was known as a lister, lyster, lyttester, dyer, dyster, or
dister, while in legal documents the Latinised form of tinctor
was employed. Thus Bate the " tinctor," or dyer, became
Bate the " lister," and ultimately the latter became the
surname of the family. Another name seems to have sprung
from the same root. Bate the "lister" had sons, one of whom
in 1329 is called Bate-son, and thus we have the now common
name of Bateson. In a similar manner have become localised
such names as Walker, one who thickened cloth by treading
it before the invention of fulling machinery ; Webster, a
weaver ; Barker, a tanner, and others.

Resuming our notes of the Lister family, we find that
the Robert Lister who in 1382 held the exclusive privilege of
dyeing in the manor of Halifax was succeeded by Richard,
who in 141 2 was constable of Halifax and an imxportant man.
He held a lease of the tolls of the town of Halifax, and in
addition to the inheritance from the above-named Robert of a
messuage and land in Halifax, he was the owner by purchase
of several estates in Halifax and Northowram, and paid in
1409 the highest rent of all their Halifax tenants to the lords
of that manor — the Prior and Convent of Lewes. In 142 1 he
purchased from John Naylor two acres lying under " Haylay
Bank." In 1429 he also purchased a close of land in
Northowram, called the " Yvepighill," of John Symson. In
1435 Richard Lister took of the lords of the manor a certain
parcel of waste land in Halifax adjoining the " North Brige,"
near which was a mill pond belonging to him, and doubtless
used by him in his business, and in 1439 he released to
Richard Moore his rights in a close of land called Horlaw-
greene Close, in Northowram, which formerly belonged to
Richard Illingworth, and whose daughter, Cecilia, Moore
had married.

The names given above will be readily identified by those
acquainted with the locality. The Ovenden and Northowram
estates continued in the Lister family until sold in 1756 by
Samuel Lister, J. P., of Horton, to Mr. John Watkinson. The
farm at Ovenden was called " Parklands " or " Parkroyd."

Ra/iiblcs Round Morton. 85

In 1452 the Northowram estates of Richard Lister were
surrendered by him to the use of his son WilHam, who had
evidently begun to assume a position in the locahty. In
Glover's Visitation, 1612, the pedigree of the Listers of Hull
is traced to this Richard, as is also that of the Shibden family,
as recorded in tlie Heralds College.

The Listers, although owning lands at Horton, appear to
have lived at Ovenden until Jolin Lister, grandson of the
above-named William Lister, about 1524. came to reside here;
and paid to the subsidy levied in that year " for ^3
lands, 3s.," in Horton tov/nship. In the muster roll for the
"liberties of Bradford," temp. Henry VIII., under the head
of Horton, we find that this John Lister was one of the five
township-men who furnished a " horse and harness " apiece,
and he is described as one of thirt\' who carried " bills." His
son was Richard, who succeeded to the Horton and Ovenden
lands in 1543, and died in 1546, seised in fee by military
service (the sixteenth part of one knight's fee^ of " one
messuage, 20 acres of land, 12 acres of meadow, and
100 acres of pasture in Horton." Richard Lister's successor
was his son Thomas, three years old at his father's
death. He appears to have liv^ed chiefly at Parklands,
Ovenden, and to have died there, as his children were all
baptised at Halifax. An ancient deed, dated 1591, however,
affords presumptive evidence that prior to his decease there
were members of the Lister family resident at Horton, as
Thomas Lister and John Lister are both parties to a
conveyance by William Collinson to Robert Collinson of
" two closes tn Horton, abutting on lands belonging to John
Armitage, of Kirklees, on the south side, and on the north
by the moor or common of Horton." The deed was drawn
by Abm. Lister, attorney, of Bowling.

Thomas Lister died in 1606, seised, according to a post
mortem inquisition of the Court of Wards, in fee b}- military
service, of "one messuage and 3^ bovates of land, meadow and
pasture, containing 40 acres, to the same messuage belonging
in Horton, and also of 14 acres of land in Horton. and one
other messuage and 10 acres of land, meadow and pasture,
in Ovenden."

86 Rambles Round H or ton.

Thomas Lister married Sibella Nortliend at Halifax, and
left two sons, John, his heir and forty years old at his father's
death, and Samuel. The latter married, in 1598, Susanna,
daughter of William Drake, of Northovvram, and was the
founder of the Shibden Hall branch of the Lister family.
Shibden Hall is situate in the lower portion of Shibden Dale,
and is a fine example of the timber-built residences of the
earlier part of the fifteenth century. The earliest possessors
were a family named Otes, who appear to have been w^ell
settled there by the year 14 10. Owing to careful treatment
at the hands of subsequent owners, the hall retains much of
its original character, and it is not likely to suffer while under
the guardianship of its present owner, Mr. John Lister, M.A.,
a lineal descendant of Samuel Lister, named above.

John, the elder brother of Samuel Lister, succeeded to
the Horton and Ovenden estates, and resided at Little
Horton. \\\ 161 2 it was found by an inquisition that "John
Lister, of Little Horton, payeth yearly one pair of ivJiite spurs
to the King." The curious nature of this tenure had its origin
in the feudal disposition of lands generally. \x\ the great
survey taken in 131 1 of all the territorial possessions of the
Lacies; the Abbot of Kirkstall, for four oxgangs (or 48 acres)
of land in Horton, was only required to present yearly a pair
of white spurs. Such tenures w^ere not unfrequent at the
period referred to, especially in respect to lands held by
religious houses. It has been assumed by Mr. John James
that the land in question was the gift of the Lacies, and that
it lay near to Burnet Field. A sister of John Lister, of Little
Horton, was married in 1602 to Caleb Kempe,*B.D., vicar of
I^radford.

A succession of Johns, three in number, followed. By
the terms of a revoked will made in 1678, John Lister,
gentleman, described as late of Ovenden, but now of Horton,
devised " all that messuage called Parkroyd, in Wheatley,
with lands, &c., to his son Joseph, also his interest in the lease
of Mixenden Mills, which he had of my lords Halifax." Two
messuages, lands, and farms in Horton, in his own occupation
and that of Thomas I'^ox, together with his Halifax and
Lancashire estates, he left to his son John the younger, for

Rambles Ran id Morton. 87

the term of " fourscore years if he should hve so long," and
after his death to his son Samuel Lister, his heirs, &c., and in
default of such issue then to John Lister, a younger son of
John his son. To Samuel Lister, as eldest son of his father
John, the family property descended, and as heir to his
younger brother, also named John, whose will was dated
1705, he succeeded to "all those two messuages or tenements
situate in Ovenden, late in the several occupations of John

Allinson and Jonathan ; and also that tenement called

Park House, now in the tenure of James Smith, and also
those two messuages situate in Horton, in the occupations of
the said testator, and also his other tenements wheresoever
situate."

Samuel Lister married Martha, a daughter of William
Midgley, of Scholemoor, one of the influential families of the
period. He died in 1752, leaving issue an only son Samuel
and a daughter Elizabeth. Samuel Lister, the younger, born
in 1 7 14, married Mary Midgley, another member of the
Scholemoor family of that name, for his first wife. She died
in 1764 without issue, and he married secondly Dorothy,
daughter of Wm. Lister, of Shipley. There was no issue of
the second marriage.

Samuel Lister lived at Little Horton, and probably
rebuilt the present substantial residence called Horton House.
He was for some years a justice of the peace, and an
influential member of the community. He disposed of the
Ovenden estates inherited by him to John Watkinson, jun., in
1756, but must have added considerably to the extent of his
Horton property, as his name frequently occurs in deeds of
conveyance as mortgagee or purchaser of land and messuages
in the neiehbourhood. Under the deed of settlement made
in 1766 on the marriage of Samuel Lister with his second
wife Dorothy, the Horton estates are described as " all that
capital messuage in Little Horton wherein he dwelt, together
with closes known as Hargreave Land, Hollingreave, Hutchcn
Yard, and Great Flatt, occupied by Benjamin Stables ; Narr
Langside, purchased by Samuel Lister of Benjamin Kennet,
clerk, and inherited by him from his grandfather, Mr.
Stockdale ; also the messuage wherein Abraham Balme

88 Rambles Round Horton.

did dwell, and the Great Laistridge, Little Laistridge or
Mary Hind Fields, occupied by Abraham Balme ; also
Boggard Close, occupied by John Balme ; Three Nook,
occupied by Henry Blagburn ; also Bowling Ing, Pudding
Ing, Tumbling Hill, and other closes in Horton occupied
by John Whitaker ; also the Norcroft Brow, purchased by
Samuel Lister of Thomas Aked, and previously owned by
Faith Sawrey, wadow ; also the Far Silbridge, occupied by
Richard Hargreaves ; and three messuages in Kirkgate
occupied by John Fearnley, John Tottie, and Samuel
Wilkinson ; and another house in Kirkgate, occupied by
Mr. Sedgwick, together with two closes of meadow land at
Piper Grave and Manningham Stoop, in the occupation of
Mr. Sedgwick ; also a road 14 ft. wide, called the Cockholme,
leading to the School Holme, Mr. Bartlett's Holme, the
Norcroft, and the Langsides above mentioned," &c.

Samuel Lister died in 1769. In his will, made before
the death of his first wife, Mary, and after provision made for
her, he bequeathed his estate in trust to his friend Benjamin
Bartlett, of Bradford, with a provision that a sum of iJ^200
should be paid to him for his trouble in realising outstanding
mortgages, and in seeing to the discharge of all his debts.
The residue of his estate he devised to " Samuel Lister, of
Horton, gentleman," during the term of his natural life,
and in default of heirs male to his the testator's niece,
Mary Hemingway, with the proviso that in case of her
marriage she and her husband should take the surname of
Lister, and reside at Horton House. In the event of these
conditions not being complied with, the estates were to pass
to Japhet Lister, of Northgate House, Halifax ''brother to
Jeremy Lister, of Shibden Hall), and his heirs male. Japhet
Lister, however, died leaving only one daughter.

The " Samuel Lister, of Horton," to whom the Horton
estates were thus bequeathed, subsequently resided at
IManningham, and was an attorney-at-law and clerk to the
trustees of the turnpike road between Bradford and Keighley,
by way of Toller Lane and Cottingley ; also of the turnpike
between Dudley Hill and Killinghall. He married Mary, the
daughter of Dorothy Stapleton (who was a Sharpy, and died

.fflKS3

BRHV^^IH^H

Rambles Round Hortoii. 89

without issue in 1792. He is described as a cousin of the
Listers of Shibden. At any rate, he never came into the
property, nor did Mary Hemingway.

In explanation, it should be stated that Elizabeth, sister
of Samuel Lister, married in 1740 Henry Hemingway, a
noted attorney, then residing at Boldshay Hall. She died in
1772. leaving an only daughter, Mary, the " niece " referred to
in Samuel Lister's will, and who was married to Dr. Crowther,
of Leeds, and subsequently of York. Samuel Lister, how-
ever, married again, as stated above, I^orothy Lister, and she
became tenant for life of her husband's estates. At his decease
Dorothy married for her second husband Richard Hodsden,
and it was only after her death in 1814 that Miss Elizabeth
Crowther, the only surviving daughter of Dr. Crowther and
Mary Hemingway, entered into possession of the Lister
estates as heir-at-law of Samuel Lister, besides succeeding to
the Boldshay propert}'.

In 1819 Elizabeth Crowther married Colonel Thos. Geo.
Eitzgerald, of Turlough Castle, Ireland. Of this marriage
were Henry Thomas George Fitzgerald, born at Boldshay in
1820, and two daughters. Colonel Fitzgerald married for his
first wife Delia, daughter of Joshua Field, of Heaton Hall,
and sister of Mr. John Wilmer Field, and had one son,
who took the Irish estates. Colonel Fitzgerald resided at
Boldshay Hall, and took a position among the gentry of the
period. His son. Major Fitzgerald, who is still living in the
south of England, married Elizabeth Harriet Yates, eldest
daughter of the Rev. S. W. Yates, of Reading, and has three
sons and two daughters.

In collating the above from \'oluminous manuscripts we
have confined our remarks pretty generally to the line of
the Horton Listers. There were evidently, however, various
branches in and around Bradford, and probably of the same
parent stock — the Listers of Halifax. Confirmation of this
is furnished by the lists of guests invited to funerals of
members of the Lister family of Shibden Hall, in which
the Listers of Wibsey, Horton, Manningham, and Bolton
are mentioned, and in some cases are referred to as

90 Rambles Round H or ton.

The Listers were zealous friends of the ParHamentarians
during the Civil Wars, and in "James's History of Bradford"
we find the following reference to that period : —

John Lister, the father, and Joseph Lister, the son, resided in a
house on the site of Horton Low Hall, and were clothmakers, and
suffered terribly from the pillage of the town by the Royalist troops after
the seige of Bradford in 1643.

The original document setting forth the claim for
compensation put in by the family is in the possession of
Mr. Hailstone, of Walton Hall, who has kindly furnished us
with the followino- extract from it : —

'fc>

5 13

72 4

... /228 4

Certificate of money paid by John Lister, the father, and Joseph
Lister, the son, inhabitants in Horton, in the parish of Bradford Dale,
being constant in their affections and actions for the Parliament and loss
at the taking of the said town by the Earl of Newcastle's army upon the
2d and 3d July, A.D. 1643, as followeth : —

I tems —

Lent upon the public faith ^10 o o

Item one meare put into Colonell Bright's

Troop with her garniture

Item in free quarter

Total of the Account

Put in Dec. 17, 1649.

Many other items are contained in the original document
referring to articles taken away or destroyed by the Royalist
troops, while other entries show that necessaries had been
provided by the Listers for the Parliamentary forces. It will
be noticed that the account was not sent in with a view to
obtain payment until six years after the siege of Bradford.

It was to another member of the Lister family that
subsequent generations have been indebted in a great measure
for an account of the memorable siege of Bradford, namely,
Joseph Lister, who was an eye-witness, and whose description
Mr. James spoke of as " artless and simple, and bearing
internal evidence of its truthfulness."

Joseph Lister, in his Autobiography, describes himself as
having been "born at Bradford, of godly and religious parents,
in June, 1627." He would, therefore, be sixteen years old at

Rambles Round Horton. 91

the period when he was witness of the events which he
narrates. At fourteen years he was apprenticed to learn the
trade of a clothier with John Sharp, Little Horton, the father
of Abraham Sharp, the famous mathematician, residinij at
Horton Hall. In 1657 he married Sarah Denton, and had
two sons, one of whom, Accepted Lister, was born at Bailey
Fold, Allerton, and was minister of Kipping Chapel, Thornton.
Both father and son died in 1709, within a few days of each
other.

Some doubt exists as to the parentage of Joseph Lister,
the historian of the siege. From the information given in
Holroyd's valuable tracts on Bradford history, and notes
supplied by Mr. Empsall, we gather that his father was named
Edward Lister, who in 161 8 married Sarah Hill, sister of
Edward Hill. M.A. The latter gentleman was some time
vicar of Huddersfield, and afterwards of Crofton, from whence
he was ejected by the Act of Uniformity in 1662. Under
the Five-mile Act he afterwards removed to Shibden, near
Halifax, preaching, like Oliver Heywood, where he could, and
according to Wright, died in 1669, at Shibden Hall. He was
the first subscriber to the Vindicice Veritatis in 1648. A
" cousin," Edward Hill, is referred to in private memoranda
of the Lister family of Overbrea and Shibden Hall, who
resided in London, and was son of the Rev. Edward Hill.
He was a partner with Samuel Lister, of Shibden, as cloth
merchants. Joshua Hill, minister of the chapel at Bramley,
was another brother of Sarah Hill.

It is worthy of note, however, that there was a family of
Listers residing at Bolton, who were in intimate relationship
with the Listers of Shibden and Horton, and were often
referred to in Oliver Heywood's diaries. Is it probable that
Joseph Lister, the historian, was of this family } In \'ol. II.

there is the following entry :— " Lister, of Bolton, near

Bradford, buried there July 23, 1683, grandfather to ]\Ir. Jo.
Lister, preacher, aged eighty." The dates correspond with
the statement of Joseph Lister that he was born in 1627.
He, however, states that he was born at Bradford, but Bolton
is very near to Bradford, or his father might ha\-e removed
there.

92 Rainblcs Round Horton.

Another name is also suggested by a perusal of the
Lister pedigree of more than local reputation, namely, that
of Sterne. At two periods in the family history relationship
was established between the Listers and the Sternes ; from
the latter, it may be stated, were descended Richard Sterne,
Archbishop of York in 1683, and the Rev. Lawrence Sterne,
author of " Tristram Shandy " and " The Sentimental
Journey." It may not be generally known that the vivacious
author was for some time a pupil at Hipperholme Grammar
School, Halifax (see note). In his Autobiography he says: — ■
"In the autumn of that year, 1722 (or the spring afterwards,
I forget which), my father got leave of his colonel to fix me
at school, which he did near Halifax, with an able master."

An elaborate record of this family would exhaust more
space than can now be afforded. Suffice it at present to state
that Simon Sterne, of Woodhouse, near Halifax, left a
numerous family, the eldest son being Richard Sterne, who
married in 1703 for his first wife Dorothy, relict of Samuel
Lister, of Shibden Hall, where, until the death of the said
Dorothy, he resided ; and, secondly, Hester, daughter of
Timothy Booth, of Halifax ; also a son Roger, the father of
the celebrated Lawrence Sterne. Of Richard Sterne's second
marriage was, with other issue, Dorothy, married to William
Lister, of Shipley, whose daughter, also named Dorothy
(evidently a favourite name), married, first, Samuel Lister,
of Horton, and secondly, Richard Hodsden, a London
gentleman. Their only daughter, Frances, was married to
George Carroll, son of George Carroll, gentleman, of county
Wicklow. Mr. Carroll, who lived for some time at Horton

NoTK ON Laurence Sterne. — The accuracy of this statement is questioned
by an old pupil of Heath Grammar School, who contends that the latter well-known
school, situate on the other side of Halifax, was that to which Sterne was sent. A
similar contention is held by another local antiquary. On the other hand we have the
testimony of a gentleman near Hipperholme, in whose family is preserved the tradition
that Sterne habitually called at the family residence while walking to and from school,
and who i)oints out that at the period referred to there certainly was not the "'able
master" at Heath alluded to by .Sterne in his Autobiograjihy, while there was at
Hipperholme in the person of Nathan Sharp. Tlien we have the evidence rendered in
the history of Heath Grammar Scliool, cotni)ile(l by Mr. Cox, a late master, who is of
opinion that it was at Hipperholme .School that Sterne received liis education, and not
at Heath, although he might have first been .sent there.

Rambles Round H or ton. 93

House, subsequently removed to Boston Spa, and died in
1861. His sons were Coote Alexander, a West Riding
magistrate, and high sheriff of county Wicklow in 1862 ;
Richard Sterne, a West Riding magistrate, lately deceased ;
George Frederick, now living at Boston Spa ; and Francis
Rawdon, deceased.

In concluding this notice of H^orton House it may be
stated that the property remained in the hands of the
Fitzgeralds until a short time ago, when it was disposed of
by public auction.

94 Rambles Round H or ton.

CHAPTER IX.

Horton Hall — The Sharp Family— John Sharp, the Parliamentarian— The Rev. Thos.
Sharp, M. A.— John Sharp, M.D.— Abraham .Sharp, the Mathematician; his
Workshop at Horton Hall — Charles Swain Booth Sharp— Madam Sharp— Mrs.
Giles.

No district in the township of Horton has retained its
primitive character more than the neighbourhood of Horton
Green ; and probably from this reason there is no more
desirable place of residence in the borough of Bradford.
Situated at a medium altitude, and lying well open to the
western breezes, the line of dwellings fringing the " Green "
enjoy an immunity from the evils attendant upon an over-
crowded neighbourhood which is possessed by few residential
districts, having open fields both to front and rear. It is not
to Horton Green and its former residents, however, that this
chapter is intended to be devoted, but to the leading family
which for hundreds of years has been associated with the
locality. In subsequent papers we shall not overlook those
of humbler rank and station.

In a lecture delivered by the late Canon Fawcett, of Low
Moor, relating to old Bradford families, the following remark
occurs : — " There is scarcely any name associated with the
early history of Bradford parish of more real interest than
that of the Sharps of Horton." The worthy Canon might
have added that none of the several respectable families
associated with the township could boast of so continuous a
connection with it as the Sharps can. So early as the year
1365, as appears from a deed executed at that period, Wm.
de Leventhorpe, the then lord of the manor, conveyed to
Thos. Sharp two bovates or oxgangs, being as much land as
an ox could plough in a year, and a messuage in Little
Horton, adjoining to lands belonging to the Abbot of
Kirkstall.

In previous papers reference has been made to the easy
payment required of the monastic head of the Abbey of
Kirkstall for his holding, namely, the annual presentation to

Rambles Round Hoi' ton. 95

the lord of the manor of a pair of wliite gilt spurs. Whether
the "messuage" referred to occupied the site of Horton Hall,
so long associated with the Sharp family, we have no
information. From documents dated 1390 evidence exists
that two members of the Sharp family had acquired a
position entitling them to grants from the surrounding
wastes ; for at that period William, the son of Jordan de
Bradford, conveyed to John, the son of Thomas Sharp, of
Little Horton (probably the Thomas named in the 1365
deed), half an acre of land situate in Horton. The second
document, dated "Friday, in third v/eek of Lent," 1390, is a

Grant by feoffment from William de Leventhorp, of the parish of
Bradford, to John, son of William, son of Robert de Horton, and

Thomas, son of [qy. John] Scharpe, of Little Horton, of the Manor

of Leventhorpe, in Bradforddale. Rent, 5 marks per annum. Witnesses
— Geoffrey de Leventliorpe ; William, son of Robert de Horton ; Adam
del Apilyerde ; John Mortimer, of Clayton, sen. ; and John Bailey, of
AUerton.

It would thus appear that Thomas Sharp divided the
manorship of Leventhorpe with John de Florton, but his
possession was not of long continuance, for in the year 1402,
according to another deed,

Thomas, son of John Scharpp, of Little Horton, released to
Geoffrey, son of William de Leventhorp, all his right in the manor of
Leventhorp, and of all lands in Thornton, in Bradforddale, which he
lately had of the gift of the said William.

In records of the time of Ed. IV. (1461-83) we find the
names of John Scharp and Christopher Scharp (son and heir
of John; parties to a deed with John HoUins, of Clayton.
This Christopher Sharp was assessed in 1520 upon ^^20 in
goods (a large amount in those days), and paid los. By his
will, dated 1530, he ordered his body to be buried in the
" Kirkgarth of SS. Peter and Paul, Bradford." To the " h)-e
altar " there " for tythes forgotten," he bequeathed the sum
of 3s. 4d. ; to " kyrkwork," 3s. 4d. ; the rest to Alice, his wife.
The v/itnesses to tliis will were Sir Thos. Ecop, Sir Tristram
Horton, and James Sharp. The titled gentlemen were priests
of the "hye-altar of St. Peter" at Bradford, the order to
which they belonged not unfrequently officiating as witnesses
to the wills of wealthy members of the church.

96 Rambles Round Hortoii,

As to James Sharp, the last-named witness, considerable
interest attaches to his identity from an antiquarian point of
view, as upon his connection with the family under notice
depends the relationship of Archbishop Sharp with the
Horton family of the name. John James remarks upon
this point that James Sharp was evidently a near relative,
but the exact point of relationship had not been found. The
family, however, do not claim descent through the Christopher
Sharp named above, but from another Christopher, a man of
large property in Horton, whose will was proved in 1543, and
to which document the James Sharp just mentioned was also
witness. He was probably the Christopher Sharp referred to
in the muster roll of the West Riding, as contributing a
" horse and harness," the other four being William Feild,
Omfray Wood, John Lister, and John Ffourness.

The establishing of the connection of Archbishop Sharp's
family with the Sharps of Horton has engaged the attention
of many genealogists, including Courthorpe, Rouge Croix
Pursuivant of Arms, and we have, through the courtesy of
Mr. F. S. Powell, had the benefit of his researches, the result
of which will more appropriately appear in treating of the
Archbishop's descent.

The existence of several branches within one township
and the repetition of John, Thomas, and Christopher as
Christian names, renders research somewhat perplexing, and
of this multiplicity sufficient evidence exists. In 1606, from
the copy of a deed before us, it appears that " Christopher
Sharp, of Horton, clothier, gives and grants to Samuel Sharp,
his son, one close called Nether Moor Close, containing one
acre, which he purchased of Thomas Hodgson, Thomas
Sharp, Robert Booth, and William Feild (and which was
evidently a portion of the waste land conveyed in 1589 from
the Lacy family to the persons named in the deed) — Signed
— Thomas Sharp, John Hillhouse, Thomas Butterfield, and
by me Thomas Sharp, the writer " — the latter being evidently
a lawyer.

In the Subsidy Roll of May, 1608, Thomas Sharp, sen.
and jun„ and John Sharp are each assessed for lands at 20s.,
and pay upon that assessment 2s. 8d, We have also an

Rambles Round H or ton. 97

indenture before us made between Alice Sharp, of Schole-
moor, late wife of Thomas Sharp, and others. The
Scholemoor Sharps were somewhat influential at that period.
Coming to more recent times we may close our extracts from
taxation rolls by quoting from the land and property tax for
Horton of the year 1704, laid at 4s. in the pound, in which
Mrs. Sharp appears as a contributor to the extent of
£4. 17s. 6d., and Isaac Sharp for ^3 iis. 3d. These
individuals represented the two main branches into which the
family had become divided, and which now centre in Mr.
Francis Sharp Powell, the present representative of the
Sharps of Horton.

As just intimated, the Sharp family were in two
branches, the partition taking place upwards of 200 years
ago, when Horton Old Hall (the residence of Mr. F. S.
Powell) was built for the younger branch. Horton Hall, the
adjoining residence, was the home of the elder branch,
associated in recent times with the names of Madam Sharp
and Mrs. Giles, and more recently with that of Mr. Hailstone.
The two branches were of different religious and political
tendencies — the elder branch being staunch Parliamentarians
and Puritans ; while the younger were Royalists and
Episcopalians. Following the dictates both of convenience
and propriety, we may therefore first make reference to
Horton Hall and its former owners and occupants.

The Sharps, like most of the yeomen of these parts,
combined the trade of clothier with that of cultivator of the
soil. The result of this arrangement may be observed in the
construction of residences of the period, which as a rule were
roomy and substantially built, providing accommodation in
the "house-body" or in an upper chamber for several pairs of
rude wooden looms, the preparatory processes being managed
by the women or young people of the family, while the male
members alternately plied the loom and engaged in field
work, as occasion demanded.

To this class we assume Thomas Sharp, whose will was

dated 1607, to have belonged. He was the son of John Sharp

(from whom also sprang the Sharps of Tong), whose father

was the Christopher previously referred to as having died

98 Rambles Round Horton.

in 1 543, and who was a man of considerable means. Thomas
Sharp profited by his inheritance, his father leaving him " one
thing of the best of every kind of vessel accustomed to be
' occupied ' at his house at Horton." By indenture dated
1589, he, with Thomas Hodgson, of Boiling, Robert Booth
and William Feild, of Horton, had conveyed to them from
Richard Lacy 250 acres of the unenclosed wastes of Horton
and fourteen acres lately enclosed. By another indenture he
purchased from Thomas Hodgson, of Bowling, a close called
Bowling Mill Close for ;^88. In conjunction with his son
John he also added to the estate South Croft, Leysteads, and
Hollingreave land.

It was from this Thomas Sharp there sprang two sons,
Thomas and John, who became the founders of the two main
branches of the Sharp family. John, the younger brother,
was a distinguished Royalist, having been in several battles
on the side of Charles I., and who never suffered his beard to
be shaved after his Royal master's execution at Whitehall.
In 1629 he added to the Horton estate Kent Close, and
purchased other land from Thomas Wood and Henry Walker,
of Bradford. To his line, however, we must refer subse-
quently. His elder brother Thomas, who died in 1636, was
the father of John Sharp, the noted Parliamentarian, having
been born in 1604. He married Mary, the daughter of
Robert Clarkson, of Fairgap, Bradford, and among their nine
children were the Rev. Thomas Sharp, once vicar of Adel,
and afterwards an ardent Nonconformist, and Abraham
Sharp, the mathematician.

John Sharp, the Parliamentarian, was undoubtedly a
prominent character during the Civil Wars. He was also a
clothier, reference having b?cn previously made to him in
that capacity as the master of Joseph Lister, the historian of
the siege of Bradford ; but in all probability he was a
merchant as well as manufacturer. His educational training,
however, must have been above the average of the craft to
which he belonged, as is evidenced by documents prepared by
him still extant. His sympathies were strongly on the side
of Parliament during the fierce struggle which prevailed during
the Civil Wars, the results of which were apparent in the

Rambles Round Hortou. 99

partial sacking of Bradford town. After the battle of
Adwalton Moor and the siege of Bradford he followed the
fortunes of General Fairfax, and was present at the engage-
ments at Nantvvich and Marston Moor. John Sharp, indeed,
seems to have acted as private secretary to General Fairfax
during the western campaign, evidence of which is furnished
by a relic now in the possession of Mr. Hailstone, of Walton
Hall. For his services he was presented by Parliament with
a gold medal, having a figure of Fairfax on the obverse ;
round the rim of the reverse " Post hac meliora " ; and in
the centre the word " Meruisti." Besides his other duties
John Sharp was the receiver of the rectorial tithes of Brad-
ford parish for Sir John Maynard, and generally occupied
a position of influence in the neighbourhood. He died
respected by all his neighbours in 1672, the inventory of
his possessions showing him to have acquired considerable
wealth during his lifetime.

John Sharp by his will left his house and lands to his
eldest son, the Rev. Thomas Sharp, brother of Abraham the
mathem.atician, who rebuilt Horton Hall from a plan now in
Mr. Powell's possession, which shows how he used up the
timbers of the house then existing for the larger and more
pretentious residence. Towards the close of 1675 he prepared
an agreement with Nathan Sharp, of Wike, mason, for the
building of " one piece of housing adjoining the now dwelling-
house of Thomas Sharp, about 18 yds. or 19 yds. in length,
7j yds. in breadth, and about ^\ yds. in height, at the square,
and to pay for the same £a^6'' (a very modest sum as building
is now computed).

An inspection of this interesting relic of old Bradford
shows the original building to have been comoletelv encom-
passed by the newer erection, the ancient timber-built walls,
once outside, being plainly visible now within the buildin?.
The old erection, judging by its appearance, seems to have
been six " crooks " in length, a " crook " representing the
span of the original roof timbers. The entrance-hall on the
north side of the building is low and quaint in appearance,
showing the ancient timber supports of very substantial
character.

100 Rambles Round Horton.

The original entrance was by an arched doorway, the
arms of the Sharps being thereon. There was a courtyard,
having on one side the blank wall of some outbuildings,
and another courtyard, which were thrown together by Mr.
Edward Hailstone to form one large court. The panelling on
the north side of the hall has been brought forward. The
space to the back, where a pillar was put up by Mr. Hailstone
to support the ceiling, was originally two rooms, with a pas-
sage between, and there were folding-doors, one towards the
hall, and the other the library. One space was called the
" Tinello," the Italian expression for " servants' hall." The
reception-rooms contained good work in oak, the wall
decoration and ceiling reliefs being evidently of later date
than 1680, the period when the old mansion was completed
by Thomas Sharp.

A quaint and picturesque appearance is given to the
frontage on the south side by the projecting porch, forming
the base of a square tower. This formed part of the original
structure, and was used by Abraham Sharp for his observatory,
from whence his observations of the heavens were taken.
The room known as Abraham Sharp's study had an internal
railing, with a door and slide window, through which, it was
said, meals were served to him while engaged in his studies.
The railing was some years ago taken down to fit the room
for use. The chamber over the washhouse outside was his
workshop, and in the window are the original pieces of wood
to which Sharp's lathe was attached. The sketch given of
Horton Hall shows the observatory tower used by Abraham
Sharp. A wing to the right has given place to a handsome
modern residence.

This house, so famous for many stirring and interesting
associations, was early resorted to by the Nonconformists of
the period as a place of worship. A large room on the
ground floor, afterwards used by Mr. Hailstone for a portion
of his library, was licensed in 1672 by the Rev. Thomas
Sharp, Abraham's elder brother, for preaching therein, and on
the inside of the capacious window are scratched by his hand
the initials T. S. During the occupancy of his father, John
Sharp, the Parliamentarian, Horton Hall was frequently

Horton Hall.

I!.v li s <& Sous, Zincos.

Rambles Round Hovton. loi

resorted to by Oliver Heywood, in whose diaries there are
frequent references to the visits paid by him. Two only must
suffice : —

Decern. 3, 1666, went to Mr. John Sharpes at Little Horton, where
j\Ir. Sharpe having appointed a meetino- where he was to preach they put
me upon that work in his roome.

Mar. 5, 1671, I was called to keep a private fast at Mr. Sharpe's in
Little Horton. Much of the day was spent before I could get my hand
to the work, worldly thoughts much prevailing, jjut afterwards while
Joseph Lister was at prayer my heart was wonderfully melted and kept
in a wonderful sweet frame.

The Joseph Lister referred to was doubtless the man who had
served his apprenticeship to John Sharp, and was now on
terms of Christian friendship with the family.

Thomas Sharp, who succeeded to the Horton estates
upon the death of his father in 1672, received his education
at the Bradford Grammar School, then a notable nursery of
learning, and in 1649 entered Clare Hall, Cambridge, and
became an excellent classical scholar and mathematician,
acquiring the degree of Master of Arts. Entering holy
orders in 1660, he afterwards became vicar of Adel, near
Leeds. Calamy says — " He enjoyed the living only for a
little while, for upon the Restoration, Dr. Hick, of Guiseley,
challenged it as his." Mr. Sharp hereupon resigned, and
could have had other preferment but for the Act of
Uniformity, whereby he was silenced. He retired to his
father's house at Horton, and married a daughter of Mr.
Bagnall.

Upon the death of his father in 1672 the Rev. Thomas
Sharp procured the licence for worship at Horton Hall, and
there exercised the ministry with great acceptance to a large
number of persons of like religious views with himself His
first wife dying he married Faith, a daughter of the Rev.
James Sale, of Pudsev, b\- whom he had several children.
He afterwards accepted the pastorate of the Independent
Chapel at Morley, and subsequently that of Mill Hill Chapel,
Leeds, where he removed, meanwhile continuing his house at
Horton. He died at Leeds in 1693, leaving his widow, and a
son and two daughters, viz., Dr. John Sharp ; Elizabeth, who

102

Rambles Round Horton.

married Robert Stansfield, a drysalter,and whose son, Robert
by a second marriage, became owner by purchase of the
Esholt estates ; and a daughter who died young.
"*■ Dr. John Sharp was a man of great promise, but died at
a premature age. He was born in 1674, and at twenty-three
years of age proceeded to study physic at Leyden, as appears
from a memorandum book in the possession of Mr. Powell.
From this interesting relic we glean particulars of his journey
to Holland, the outfit required for a medical student of his
time, and other particulars. Thus, under date of 1697, we
find the items : —

Passing from Rotterdam to Leyden .

Porter

Weekly reckoning

-1

Sword belt

Buckles

Scissors Case

Pencil

Scissors

Wafers

A quire of Paper

Snuff-box and Snuff

... 0

>-} -

Wax Candles

Quills

..0

Spent at the Anatomy Class

To the Rector, for Matriculation...

Weekly reckoning

Wash gloves

... 0

Teapot

... 0

Handkerchiefs

The date of his matriculation was the year 1699, when
he was twenty-five years of age, as appears from entries in
the memorandum book as follows, he having prior to that
event made a journey to England : —

1699. — Tuesday, 7th of 6th, at 3 ok, set sayle from Hull towards
Rotterdam. Staid at anchor 2 leagues from land.

Wednesday, at 4 o'clock, weighed anchor with wind S.W.

Under date 22nd October, 1699, '•'' the form of his
matriculation. Dr. John Sharp died in 1704, aged thirty
years, f

Rambles Round H or ton. 103

By his decease, Horton Hall became the property and
residence of Abraham, the second son of John Sharp, the
Parliamentarian. This distinguished man was born at Horton
in 1 65 1, in the building still associated with his name. He
received his education at the Bradford Grammar School,
which had been the seminary of his distinguished relative,
Archbishop Sharp, Dr. Richardson, of Bierley, and others.
The story oi his life has been oft repeated, and but a brief
reference need now be made. On leaving school he was
bound apprentice to a mercer at York ; but his mind was
averse to trading, and his indentures were " broken " in order
that he might give himself to scientific pursuits. At first he
resided near Liverpool, but appears to have gone to London
when nineteen years of age, in the position of bookkeeper
to a merchant, and it was while filling this situation that
he contracted a friendship with Flamsteed, the astronomer,
who secured him as his assistant at Greenwich Observatory,
then recently erected. At twenty-four years of age Abraham
had made such progress in astronomical science that it is
said he had constructed or regulated all the instruments
used in the famous Greenwich Observatory. Li 1694 be
returned to Horton. During this period of nearly a quarter
of a century he appears to have kept entries of every
half-penny he expended, as is shown by memorandum books
to which, through Mr. Powell's courtesy, we have had access,
and this methodical habit he kept up after his return to
Horton, and probably until his death at over ninety years of
age. Unfortunately many of the celebrated mathematician's
papers and astronomical memoranda and calculations have
been destroyed, some being only thought fit for lighting fires,
and hence it is doubtful whether the life-story of a very
remarkable Hortonian is now available.

The handwriting in such memorandum books as have
been preserved is of the most minute character, requiring the
aid of a magnifying glass to thoroughly decipher the contents.
In them we find many curious entries ; mathematical calcula-
tions, entries relating to purchase of material for making
scientific instruments, books, articles of wearing apparel, cost
of living, &c., all mixed up together in the order apparently

104

Rambles Round Horton.

in which they were expended. Thus, under date of the year
1685, we cull the following items : —

Boat hire to Greenwich

... 0

■->

Phil. Transactions

Pd. for tying cravats

... 0

Washing gd., spent 6d

... 0

-1

Pd. for 12 doz. hair buttons

... 0

4 yds. Shalloon

... 0

Pd. for Transactions

... 0

A letter

... 0

Pair of Stockings

... 0

Brass wyer

... 0

Conquest of China

... 0

Dressing hat

... 0

A dictionary

... 0

Lens

... 0

A pair of brass Compasses

... 0

3 Ground Wheels

... 0

Boat hire to Greenwich

... 0

Gellibrand's Trigonometry

... 0

Ink horn

... 0

4 glasses for a six-foot

... 0

Pratts' Architecture

... 0

Paid for a hone

... 0

Pd. for Arcad. Princ

... 0

Clear Varnish — 6 bottles

... 0

-->

2 pieces Lignum Vitae

2 rolls of brass wyre. 271b. 50Z., at i8d.

Gloves and tying cravat

... 0

Gold Thread

... 0

Loadstone •

... 0

There are many other item.s relating to personal expenses,
cost of living, &c.

Abraham Sharp returned to Little Horton in 1694,
shortly after the death of his elder brother Thomas, and
never left it afterwards for any lengthened period. He never
married, but devoted his life to the study of astronomical
subjects. His workshop was fitted with every description of
astronomical instruments, all made by his own hands, a list of
which made at his death, and the valuation, together with
some of his account books, are in Mr. Hailstone's possession,
as also his walking-stick, fitted with glasses as a telescope.

Rambles Round Hoy ton. 105

There is also a fine orrery in the museum at York, made by
Abraham Sharp. His communications with Flamsteed were
kept up at Horton, as is evidenced by the mention made of
postage of letters from the great astronomer.

Mr. Sharp was very irregular at his meals, and remark-
ably sparing in his habits. A little square hole, something
like a window, afforded communication between the room
where he was generally employed in calculations, and another
chamber or room in the house where a servant could enter,
and before the hole he contrived a slide. The servant always
placed his victuals, without speaking or making the least noise,
and when he had a little leisure time he visited his cupboard
to see what it afforded to satisfy his hunger and thirst. But
it often happened that the breakfast, dinner, and supper
remained untouched by him, and when the servant went
to remove what was left the philosopher was found to hav^e
been so deeply engaged in his calculations that he had quite
forgotten all about his meals. Mr. Sharp is said to have been
" one of the most accurate computors ever known." It is to
be regretted, however, that he devoted his talents to such futile
efforts as " squaring the circle," constructing logarithms to
sixty -one y^X'A.CQ'i^ of decimals, &c., instead of more practical work.

It is said that he lived the life of a recluse, rarelv holdin<jf
communication with any one. Two friends, however, had the
privilege of his acquaintance, namely. Dr. Swaine, of Hall
Ings, and a Mr. Dawson, who were admitted by the signal of
rubbing a stone against a certain part of the outside of his
rooms. Abraham Sharp attended the Presbyterian Chapel
at Bradford, of which he was a member, and every Sunday
he took care to be provided with plenty of halfpence, which
he very charitably suffered to be taken out of his hand,
held behind him during his walk to the chapel, b\- the poor
people who followed. He never looked back or asked a
single question.

Whatever the nature of his scientific studies, astronomical
and mathematical, Abraham Sharp evidently kept a close eye
upon the management of his estate and his hou.sehold expenses,
as is evidenced by the minute accounts he kept of every item
of receipts and expenditure. Thus in the year 1710, under

106 Rambles Round Horton.

dates June, July, and September, we find such items as the
following : —

I s. d.
Pd. TiioS; Myers for making my black coat ... o 3 6
Ben Bartlett for dressing sister's leg, and

salve o 2 o

Robert Stansfield to be laid out for funeral exs. 3800

Registering Sister's Will o 5 8

At Chapel for cjuarter which sister left o 10 o

David Rodcs for shearing, 7 days o 3 6

For a load of wheat o 15 6

And under date 17 12, the following details : —

Paid Land tax for Brecon Hill o 19 3

Land tax for Ferrand Close 013 4

\-\\\ Land tax for Shibden Hall land and

Howgate Farm i 8 4

Earl Warren's rent for Shibden Hall (land)... 080

Lord's rents for land in Sowerby o 6 9

Uncle Abm. .Sharp's interest 20 o o

Abm. Jewett i^ year for window tax i 10 o

Wm. Raper, for monument in Church 11 15 o

8 load of lyme and leading stones for balcony 080

Joseph Carr, for plastering 8 yards o 8 o

8 stroak hair to Mr. Swain o 2 8

100 slates to John Booth, and leading o 6 6

Wm. Ellis for his work 013 o

On the other side of the account for the last-named year
we obtain some insight into the sources of Abraham Sharp's
income, as follows : —

Rd. of John Horton for trees

Jos. Stansfield for his father's Whit-rents
Jos. Stansfield for Higher End rents ...

Rd. Ingham for Pudsey Mart

Henry Atkinson for a calf

Robt. Myers last ^ yr.'s rent

John Dobson, h yr.'s rent

Thos. Craven, ^ yr.'s rent

John Burrow, \ yr.'s

Abr. Sharp board, one year ^8 o

For Near and Far Langsides, whole year

.■\bm. Firth, h yr.'s rent

P'or a red cow and calf

Of uncle Josiah for a red cow and calf...
Of Abm. Jewett for blind horse " Hugh "

•5

1 1

•7

Rambles Round Hoyton. 107

The total income for the year 17 12, as shown in tlie account,
is i^205 13s. od.

Notwithstanding his irregular habits, night watches, and
laborious studies, Abraham Sharp lived to reach the 91st
year of his age, and died in July, 1742. There is a monument
to his memory in the chancel of Bradford Parish Church.
In his will he bequeathed a house to the minister of the
*' Dissenters' Meeting Chapel, Bradford."

Abraham Sharp having died a bachelor, the Horton
estates of his branch of the family were enjoyed by his
grandniece Faith, the daughter of Robert Stansfield, the
latter having married Abraham's niece Elizabeth. There
were six sons and two daughters of this marriage, but only
Faith survived. She married, in 1722, Richard Gilpin
Sawrey, of Horton, a magistrate, and died in 1767 without
issue, this branch of the Sharp family therefore ending with
her death. By her will Mrs. Sawrey • bequeathed to
Hannah Gilpin, the daughter of William Gilpin, formerly
of Whitehaven, and then residing with her, the mansion at
Horton wherein she dwelt, with all her other messuages situate
in Bradford, Great and Little Horton, Burley, Wheatley,
Guiseley, and Farsley, &c. Hannah Gilpin took the name
of Sharp, and in 1769, two years after coming to the Horton
estates, entered into matrimony with Mr. Charles Swaine
Booth, the son of the Rev. Charles Booth, of Bradford.

Reference has previously been made to the influential
family of Swaine, of Horton. The family had also a
Bradford branch, which occupied a good house standing at
one time in Hall Tngs. Here Dr. Swaine resided, and here,
according to an extract from the Halifax Jounia/ of April,
1759, there died a Miss Swaine, "whose virtue and charity
made her death greatly lamented." She left her property to
her nephew, Charles Booth, barrister-at-Iaw, who hereupon
added the name of Swaine to his own, which was that of a
family of considerable standing in Horton so far back as
1608. His father, the Rev. Charles Booth, married a daughter
of Mr. William Swaine, of Bradford, whose monument is in
Bradford Parish Church. Charles Swaine Booth therefore
acquired the property of both the Bradford Swaines and the

108 Rambles Rotmd Horton.

Booths. Swaine Street was named after him. By his
marriage with Hannah Gilpin Sharp he acquired further
property and influence, and in compHment to his wife added
the name of Sharp, and for many years resided at Horton
Hall. During his Hfetime the new portion now fronting to
Horton Lane was added, a wing of the old residence built by
the Rev. Thomas Sharp being removed for the purpose.

Charles Swaine Booth Sharp died without issue in 1805,
leaving his widow, Hannah Gilpin, or better known as
Madam Sharp. He left the property coming to him from
the Swaines and the Booths, after bequeathing certain legacies
and confirming the settlement made upon his marriage, to his
sisters, Beatrix Rishton, widow, and Sarah Booth, widow, and
after them to his nephew, the Rev. Godfrey Wright, of Hooton
Pagnall, and his heirs. His widow, Mrs. Hannah Gilpin
Sharp, died in May, 1823.

By her will' Madam Sharp bequeathed the mansion at
Horton, with all her estates in Bradford and elsewhere, to her
nephew, Captain Thomas Gilpin, and his male heirs, and in
default of issue to her niece, Ann Kitchen, widow of Major
Kitchen, in the service of the East India Company, and her
heirs ; and in default to the daughters of Captain Gilpin,
conditionally upon their residing at Horton. Captain Gilpin,
after enjoying the estates three years only, died at Madeira in
the year 1826, without having been married, whereupon Ann
Kitchen came to the property, and married in 1828 Mr.
Edward Giles, a clerk in Somerset House, for her second
husband, who died in 1832, leaving an infant son, Edmund,
heir to the Horton estates.

This son Edmund went to Australia, being enamoured of
sea life, but never returned, as he only lived three days after
landing in the far-off colony. He was twenty-five years of
age. Mrs. Haines, of London, then came into possession, she
being the daughter of Mrs. Giles by her first marriage. In
1839 an Act was passed for disposing of the Giles estate at
Horton, owing to the great increase of buildings and
manufactories in the immediate vicinity. The property
extended over many portions of Horton, including that
fringing both sides of Horton Lane, where it was intersected

Rtmibles Round Horfon. 109

by the estate of Colonel Fitzgerald, formerly belonging to
Samuel Lister.

The next tenant of Horton Hall was Mr. John Wood,
the philanthropic manufacturer, and after him Mr. Samuel
Hailstone, attorney. Mrs. Giles, however, had a portion of
Horton Hall reserved for her own residence after Mr.
Hailstone took it, and resided there a short time every year.
Joshua Smith, an old servant of Madam Sharp, was the
caretaker. The occupancy of the hall was continued by Mr.
Edward Hailstone, after the death of his father, until his
removal to Walton Hall in 1870, and it is now the residence
of Mr. Ezra Waugh Hammond.

Horton Hall and grounds were bought by Mr. F. S.
Powell in 187 1 from Giles's trustees, and again form part
of the Sharp estate.

110 Rai/fb/es Ron ml Morton.

C HAPTE R X.

Horton Old Hall— The Sharp Family — Their Ancient Possessions— John Sharp, the
Royalist— Lieutenant Isaac Sliarp— The Stapletons — The Bridges — The Powells —
Francis Sharp Powell.

Continuing our notice of the Sharp family of Horton,
we now refer to the younger branch, whose seat for probably
250 }'ears has been that known as Horton Old Hall, the
residence of Mr. Francis Sharp Powell.

In tracing Mr. Powell's descent as a representative of
the Sharp family, we are materially assisted by the Sharp
pedigree, drawn for Mr. Powell by Mr. Courthorpe, of the
College of Arms. That pedigree is rendered very complete
from the time of Christopher Sharp, of Horton, who died a
Rom.an Catholic, in 1543. He left a son John, lather of
Thomas Sharp, who died in 1607, and was the immediate
progenitor of the stock from whence sprang the two main
branches of the Sharp family of Horton.

In a previous article we quoted from documents showing
a Thomas and a John Sharp to have been parties to transfers
of land in Horton in the years 1365 and 1390. In the
absence of registers of the period it may not be possible
to connect the Sharps just referred to with Christopher
Sharp, who died in 1543, but from the continuous occurrence
of the name of Sharp as follows, viz. : — 1390, Thomas ;
1402, Thomas; 1461, John; 14CS3. Christopher; and 1530,
Christopher — it may reasonably be assumed that the
Christopher above named was a member of the family
whose history we are tracing, and that the family had a
common origin.

Thomas Sharp, who died in 1607, was evidently a man
of considerable means. He is described as a yeoman and
clothier. In October of 1589 he had conveyed to him, along
with Thomas Hodgson, Robert Booth, and Wm. Feild, 250
acres of the unenclosed wastes at Horton, and fourteen acres
lately enclosed, by Richard Lacy and John, his son. These
Lacies were of the Cromwellbotham family of that name, and

Rambles Rom id H or ton. iii

were lords of the manor of Horton, havin_<^ acquired the
Leventhorpe interest in the manor by marriage. Thos. Sharp
also added considerably to the estate left him by his father —
which comprised " one thing of the best of any kind of
vessel accustomed to be 'occupied ' in his house at Horton "
— by purchasing various portions of the landed property in
Horton held by the family of Wood. Mr. John James, in
his account of the Horton families of an early period, stated
that John Sharp, the father of Thomas, was assessed in 1545
upon ;^20 value in goods, " which was the only assessment to
that amount in Horton, except that on Humphrey Wood,
who paid the same," and that in the assessment of 1552 he
was assessed for ^16 in goods, "the largest assessment in
Horton, except that of Thomas Wood, who was charged the
same."

Through the courtesy of Mr. Powell we have had access
to many ancient deeds showing the large extent of land held
by the Wood family in Horton at one time, which was
without doubt acquired from the Lacies of Cromwellbotham,
as Rosamund, the wife of Thomas Wood, was a daughter of
John Lacy, living in 1558. We have before us a copy of
feoffment, dated 1558, from "John Lacy and Richard his son
to Thos. Woode and Rosamund his wife of one messuage and
five oxgangs of land in Little Horton, at the yearly rent of
£2 13s. 4d., payable at Pentecost and Martinmas." In 1591
a friendly suit was instituted, wherein Th.omas Wood and
Rosamund his wife were plaintiffs, and John Lacy defendant,
in respect to " one messuage, six crofts, two gardens, sixty
acres of land, forty acres of meadow, and forty acres of
pasture in Horton." In 1572 John Lacy, of Leventhorpe,
conveyed to Thos. Wood " three parcels of land lately taken
from the waste, rendering knights service, suit of court at
Horton, and an annual rent of one red rose."

Other examples might be given furnishing testimony to
the standing of the Wood family in Horton at the period
referred to ; it ma)', however, be equally interesting to note
how and to whom their estates became transferred, for it is
certain that the family has been of no repute in the township
for more than two centuries.

112 Rambles Round H or ton.

It was about the close of the sixteenth century, then,
that for some cause the Woods disposed of their Horton
lands, as about that period numerous conveyances are dated,
a few examples of which may be given : —

1592. — Indenture made 8th day of January, between Thos. Wood,
of Askwith, yeoman, Rosamund, his wife, and John Wood, son and heir
apparent, on the one part, and Jasper Brighthouse, or Brighouse, of
Bradford, yeoman, of the other part, whereby, in consideration of the
sum of threescore and ten pounds of lawful English money paid to them
by the said Jasper Brighthouse, the said Thomas, Rosamund, and John
Wood convey to him all those three closes of land called the Hollingreave
lands, alias Spittle Roods, Cross Butts, and Souther Half-acres, situate
and being in Horton in Bradford-dale, now in the tenure of the said
Jasper Brighthouse, &c.

Witnesses — William Hallsteade, John Lacie, Henry Packet, Samuel
Tailer, William Currer, Thomas Taller, attorney,

1601. — Conveyance from Thomas Wood and his wife Rosamund to
Thomas Sharp, sen., and John, his son, of a messuage with outbuildings
(in three tenements), lands, &c., all in Horton, in the tenure of Richard
Booth, Robert Balme, and William Booth (except three closes called the
Langside), and also of the two Southcrofts, Ackers, Leysteads, and
Northcroft, and of several yearly rents as follows : — viz., 30s. and a boyne
hen out of a cottage and lands at Haycliffe ; another of I2d. out of
Hollingreave Lands ; another out of a close called Broad-dole ; and
another out of a close called Huetson Yeard, alias Hutcheon Yeard, all
in Horton.

Other deeds might be cited showing transfers from
Thomas Wood and his wife about the same period, thus : In
1592, conveyance of the Intack Close and a close called Two
Lands, to Thos. Hunter; 1601, conveyance of messuage in
Horton and close of land called the Bent, to Chris. Sharp
and Samuel his son ; 1601, conveyance of three closes of land
called Far Langsides to Robert Heaton.

In endeavouring to trace the various properties alluded
to. documentary evidence is afforded that nearly the whole
passed into the hands of the Thomas Sharp named above,
confirming the statement that he was a man of considerable
means. Thus in 1606, John Sharp, his son and heir,
contemplated marriage with Susan, a daughter of Richard
Waterhouse, of Shelf. In consideration of that marriage,
Thomas Sharp re-leased to his son, by indenture dated
June 15, 1606, "all the messuage, lands, &c., purchased by

Rambles Round Horton. 113

him of Thomas Wood, of Askwith, and of John Wood, his
son and heir. Also all that close called the Intack, or Bowling
Mill close, late in the tenure of William Law, and purchased
by Thomas Sharp of Thomas Hodgson, late of Boiling,
deceased ; also the Hollingreave lands, and the third part of
a close called the Haycliffe, and in a place called Nethermore;
and also the third part of a close of land lately enclosed from
the common of Horton on the north and east side of a hill
called Haycliffe, and in a place called Over Moor." On his
part Richard Waterhouse, the father of the intended bride,
agreed to assign to John Sharp, his intended son-in-law, "all
that messuage in Shelf wherein he dwelt," also the sum of
^^"150, &c., upon the consummation of the marriage. The
attorney who drew up the necessary documents was Abraham
Lister, of Boiling. Thomas Sharp had already made over to
his son the two Southcrofts, the Northcroft, the Ackers, the
Leysteads, and the Southern Half-acres, all in Horton.

The frequent references to enclosures made from the
"wastes" of Horton afford good ground for fixing the date
when the main portion of the township was common land,
and the recurrence of terms like the " Two Lands," " Broad-
dole," " Cross Butts," " Southern Half-acres," &c., is equally
suggestive of a period prior to the age of enclosures, when
such lands were held in common, i.e., " Common Fields."
These common fields were generally of three descriptions, for
the unvarying round of growing winter corn, spring corn,
and fallow. They were respectively divided into oxgangs,
evenly scattered over every field, in order to give more
facility for the system of ploughing then in vogue, and
for other desirable purposes. There was likewise the
common meadow, while other portions of the township were
laid out in pasture, as an appendant to the common field
land, each oxgang having a right to a limited number of
" gates " for cows and working oxen. The " Common Fields "
were distributed over the township. Hence we derive the
terms Southfield (Southfield Lane), Northfield, Westfield, &c.
Almost ever)- township " round about Bradford " furnishes
evidence of this remote period, either in the present
appearance of the land or the names which still remain,
H

114 Rambles Round H or ton.

We have also mention of the ancient forms of rent and
services rendered by the holders of lands. Thus, three
parcels of land taken from the " waste " rendered " Knight's
service, suit of Court at Horton, and an annual rent of one
red rose." Thomas Sharp's purchase of the North Crofts,
the Leysteads, &c., was charged with the yearly rent of " 30s.
and one boyne hen," &c. The payment of a red rose, " in
the time of roses," was a common form of acknowledg-
ment where the title was not of the clearest. " Boynes "
{alias " boons ") were services rendered, so many days'
ploughing or reaping, and called " plough-boons " and " sickle
boons." " Hens " were often reserved as a species of rent in
kind to be paid, generally, at Shrove-tide. The custom was a
survival of the Anglo-Saxon " gafol," a tribute. The subject
of these old customs suggested by the above terms although
digressive is interesting, and may be alluded to at a future
opportunity,

John Sharp, who thus became endowed with a con-
siderable portion of his father's possessions, was only a
younger son, there being two brothers older than himself,
viz., Isaac, who died at a comparatively early age and was
named in his father's will, and Thomas, the eldest brother,
who died in 1636. The latter, who succeeded to the family
mansion at Horton (that known as Horton Hall), became
the father of John Sharp, the noted Parliamentarian and
Puritan, whose career and that of his family, which included
the Rev. Thos. Sharp, the Nonconformist preacher, and
Abraham Sharp, the astronomer and mathematician, were
traced in a previous article.

John Sharp, whose line we must now take up, was as
ardent a Royalist and as distinguished on the King's side as
his nephew became on that espoused by Parliament. He
was in several battles on the side of Charles I., during one
of which he received a severe contusion on the head with a
battle axe. Notwithstanding, he lived to over seventy years
of age, although he was wont to say that but for the awkward
blow on his cranium he might have lived to be an "old man."
So distressed was John the Royalist at the fate of his Royal
master, that it is said he never suffered his beard to be shaven

Rambles Roimd Horto}i. 115

or his hair to be cut after the execution of Charles I. at
Whitehall. The headpiece worn by him in the Civil Wars
is preserved among the family heirlooms at Horton Old
Hall, along with armour, swords, &c. ; also the helmet and
armour worn by Isaac Sharp, his son, a lieutenant in the
Train Bands ; a cannon ball picked up after the siege of
Bradford, and other relics of that momentous period. It is
from this branch of the Sharp family that Mr. F. S. Powell is
descended.

John Sharp's interest in the affairs of his household,
however, must have been actively maintained, notwith-
standing his zealous partisanship. During his lifetime he
added considerably to the family estates — as we find from the
family deeds in the possession of Mr. Powell — in addition to
the property inherited by him from his father. Among his
purchases were two closes called Burnet Graves and
Storbrokes, lying in Great Horton, from Elizabeth Bayrstow,
of Barkerend ; and Kent Close, in Little Horton, from
Henry Walker, of Bradford. John, the Royalist, died in
1658, leaving two sons, Isaac and Thomas, the latter of
South Kirkby.

Isaac Sharp, the eldest son, born in 1613, lived at Horton
into the next century. He married Elizabeth Rhodes, of
Mirfield. He was also an active partisan on the King's side,
and received a commission as lieutenant in the Train Bands
of Agbrigg and Morley, his company comprising 120 men.
This document, signed by Buckingham, is dated May 22,
1653, '^'''d is in Mr. Powell's possession.

It is assumed that this branch of the family were resident
in a house not above a stone's throw from that occupied by
the elder branch, and it was left to Lieutenant Sharp to
establish his family in a residence entitled to be ranked as a
mansion of the period, namely, that in which Mr. Powell
resides, and which was built upon the site of the older
structure. There are several dates about the premises,
showing the various stages of progress. Over a door in
the building now used as estate offices on the western side
of the courtyard is the date 1665. Over the entrance door
on the south side of the hall is the date 1674 ; and over the

116 Rambles Round Horfon.

fireplace in the south-west chamber the date 1675, v/ith
the initials I.S.— S.S. There is also a Latin motto of
doubtful construction, as follows — Mementem in est inortallis^
and probably intended to remind all future occupiers that
they were but mortal. The initials are said to be those of
Isaac Sharp and his wife; but do not accord with the Christian
name of the wife, Elizabeth (who was living at the time),
except upon the assumption that some familiar cognomen
was adopted by the carv^er. Lieutenant Sharp lived to the
ripe old age of ninety-two, having survived all the troubles of
the Civil War and the reigns of the second Charles, of James
the Second, of William, Prince of Orange, and Mary, his
wife ; and he witnessed the accession of Queen Anne.

At his death in 1705, Lieutenant Sharp was succeeded
by his son, also called Isaac, who inherited all his father's
lands, and married in 1705 Elizabeth Wood, of Bramley.
One of his sisters married the Rev. Matthew Smith, of
Mixenden, and another Wm. Young, of Bradford, cutler.
He died in 1743, but probate of his will was not obtained
until 1 76 1, a recital of which shows that he devised all his
lands to Richard Gilpin Sawrey, of Horton, and John Smith,
clerk, of Mixenden, in trust for the benefit of his daughter
Dorothy, wife of Francis Stapleton ; then to her daughter
Elizabeth (married to Francis Bridges;, and next to his
granddaughter, Mary Stapleton. His estate was charged
with an annual payment of 20s. to the preachers at
Mixenden and Horton Chapels, "so long as Dissenting
ministers shall be there."

Isaac Sharp is said by John James to have rebuilt the
east end of the mansion at Horton ; and, if so, he also
contemplated the rebuilding of the house, judging by the
following extract : — "All my goods I give (except the wood
lying in the barn and the stones prepared for rebuilding the
dwelling-house in which I live, to each devisee of my real
estate as shall rebuild the same) to my daughter Dorothy,
whom I constitute my executrix." The witnesses to the will
were John Rhodes, clothier ; James Hall, yeoman ; and John
Northrop, schoolmaster. Attested by Richard Wainman,
attorney, and John Siddall, his clerk.

Rambles Round H or ton. 117

Isaac Sharp was the last of the male line of his branch
of the family, and it is somewhat singular that the male line
in the elder branch had ceased to exist within twelve months
of his death, namely, in 1742, by the decease of Abraham
Sharp, the mathematician

In the recital of the terms of the will of the last Isaac
Sharp there occurred two names brought newly upon the scene,
the owners whereof were destined to play an important part
in the family history which we are attempting to pourtray.
The names in question were those of Stapleton and Bridges.
Contemporary with these, however, was that of Powell, the
respective representatives being Francis Stapleton, of Little
Horton, born 1703 ; the Rev. Wm. Bridges, rector of Castleford
in 1696 ; and Thos. Powell, of Bawdsley, co. Montgomery.

The Stapletons were living at Felliskirk, Yorkshire, in
1599, and one Francis gravitated towards Bradford as a
drysalter, and married a daughter of Thomas Lister, of
Manningham, a major under General Fairfax. Of this
marriage was a son Francis, born in 1703, who married
Dorothy, the surviving heiress of Isaac Sharp, above referred
to. Meanwhile Thomas Bridges, of Leeds, son of the
Rev. Wm. Bridges, married a daughter of the first Francis '
Stapleton, and their son, Francis Bridges, of Leeds and
Horton, married the eldest daughter and co-heiress of the
second Francis Stapleton and Dorothy Sharp. In this manner
were the family interests of the Sharps, the Stapletons, and
the Bridges bound together.

The eldest child of Francis I?ridges and his wife (there
being also several others, including Francis Sharp Bridges,
afterwards of Horton Old Hall) was married to the Rev. Thos.
Wade, of Bierley, and afterwards of Tottington, Lancashire ;
and their sole surviving daughter and heiress, Anne, became
the wife of the Rev. Benjamin Powell, of Bellingham Lodge,
Wigan, a grandson of John Powell, of Bawdsley. The Rev.
B. Powell died in 1861, aged sixty-nine, and his wife in 1873
at the same age. They had a family of eleven children, of
whom there survive Mr. Francis Sharp Powell, the Rev. Thos,
Wade Powell, of St. John's College, Cambridge, and four
daughters, two of whom are married and have families.

118 Ra/iibks Round Morton.

Mr. Francis Sharp Bridges, as the only surviving son of
Francis Bridges, of Leeds and Horton, succeeded not only to
his father's Leeds estates, but to those at Horton belonging
to the Sharp family. On his father's side he came of an
old and respectable Leeds family. Thomas Bridges, his
grandfather, who died in 1735, and who married Elizabeth
Stapleton, was a noted antiquary and the intimate friend
of Thoresby, the author of the " Ducatus Leodensis."
Dr. Whitaker's estimate of him may be gathered from the
following extract from a second edition of the " Ducatus,"
edited by the doctor, who, in his comment upon the inscription
found in St. John's Cemetery, Leeds, says : — " It contains a
memorial of a true antiquary, to whose activity and exactness
in recording the transactions of this town (Leeds) and parish
for a series of years the editor of ' Thoresby ' has been greatly
indebted." Thomas Bridges also gathered the most valuable
collection of ancient medals which the town of Leeds had to
boast since that of Thoresby. His son, Mr. Francis Bridges,
was also of an antiquarian and literary turn, and was a great
collector of coins, besides having got together a valuable
library, containing examples of the earliest printed books,
and many MS. volumes.

This collection of coins and books, it may be added, is
in the possession of Mr, Powell, at Horton Old Hall. The
cabinet in which the medals and coins are contained is in
itself a treasure, the lock being surmounted by a bronze
shield, said to have formed the lid of a snuff-box possessed by
Charles I. at his execution. There is also a crescent-shaped
bronze surmounting the shield, containing an antique design.

From certain entries in the rent roll of Francis Bridges,
it would appear that in 1788 part of the Old Hall was let to
John Wood, also the barn, outbuildings, the Laith Croft,
Low Croft, New Croft, Far Burnet Graves, and P^ar Leysteads,
at a rental of ^,34 per annum. John Wood died in 1795-
Another part of the mansion, with cellar under Wood's part,
was let to the Rev. John Dean, minister at the Unitarian
Chapel. Mr. Francis Bridges, residing principally at Leeds,
only retained a portion of the mansion in his own occupation.
He died in 1795.

Raiiibles Round Ho /ton. 119

The son of Mr, Francis Bridges, namely, Mr. Francis
Sharp Bridges, resided at Horton Old Hall during the course
of a long life. He was a bachelor, and lived singularly
retired, his principal outward excursion being when he
went to dine weekly with his two sisters at Hallfield House,
Manningham Lane. Although very wealthy, he employed
no servants beyond an antiquated housekeeper, named
Mallinson, and a kitchen girl, keeping neither horses nor'
cattle on his homestead. His tall, erect, and portly figure ;
his white cravat, deep-frilled shirt, set off by a square-headed
amber brooch, are remembered by many, as he took his
" constitutional " on Horton Green, measured by the frontage
of his residence. Mr. Bridges died in 1844, aged seventy-
eight years.

Under his will the Horton estates are inherited by his
nephew, Mr. Francis Sharp Powell, M.A., in addition to large
properties in Lancashire left him by his father. Mr. Powell
was born in 1827, his father, the Rev. Benjamin Powell, being
at the time of his birth incumbent of St. George's Church,
Wigan. Mr. Powell received his early education at Wigan
Grammar School, and partly at Sedbergh Grammar School,
an institution in which he has ever since maintained a lively
interest, and in its management has, more than any one else,
been the means of effecting an improvement. To such an
extent has this been recognised that for some time he has
been at the head of the board of governors. From Sedbergh
Mr. Powell entered St. John's College, Cambridge ; was
elected a fellow in 1851 ; and graduated M.A. in 1853. In
the same year he was called to the bar of the Liner Temple,
and went the Northern Circuit two or three years, but his
inclination was towards a political career. He has sat four
times in Parliament in the Conservative interest, namely, for
his native borough of Wigan, for Cambridge, and for the
Northern Division of the West Riding. Li recognition of his
faithful services to his party, Mr. Powell had an excellent
portrait of himself presented to him in October, 1884, by
gentlemen connected with the Northern Division of Yorkshire.

Mr. Powell, however, is not exclusively a politician. His
services are ever at the call of those whose aim is the pro-

120 Rambles Round Hoyton.

motion of philanthropy, educational advancement, religious
propaganda, or social and sanitary reform. As a devoted
Churchm.an he has given largely of his wealth to church
extension and endowment in Bradford and the neighbour-
hood. He has expended upwards of ^30,000 upon the
erection of All Saints' Church, Horton Green, the schools,
and the vicarage. As an example of ecclesiastical architecture
of its period this church stands pre-eminently abov-e any other
in the town or immediate neighbourhood. He has also
assisted in the erection of nine of the churches of Bradford
projected by the society for promoting the building of ten
churches, besides helping materially towards the erection of
schools. He is a frequent contributor towards the deliberations
of the Church Congress and Social Science Association, and
an ardent advocate of the promotion of education, elementary,
religious, and technical, being upon the councils of several
colleges and institutions having these ends in view.

Air. Powell married, in 1858, Annie, daughter of Mr. M.
Gregson, of Liverpool, but has no family The arms of the
family are — Azure, a pheon argent, within a bordure or,
charged with eight torteuxes. Crest, an eagle's head, erased
azure ducally gorged or, holding in his mouth a pheon argent.

Horton Old Hall, a view of which is given as the
frontispiece to this volume, is the residence of Mr. Powell
while in Yorkshire, and is a substantial and characteristic
example of the period of its erection, namely, that of the reign
of Charles H. It is evident, however, from the existence of
several branches of the Sharp family of Horton, that there
vv'ere other residences belonging to them, that knov/n as the
" Old House at Home," at Holme Top, being probably one
of them.

Horton Old Hall, however, as a residence of the family,
is the only one preserving its continuity of connection, and in
the hands of its recent possessors it has been preserved in
excellent condition. It has two frontages, one towards All
Saints' Church, and another overlooking the open fields town-
v/ards. As previously remarked, its position is admirable from
a residential point of view, notwithstanding the encroachments
of modern dwellings on various sides. The arrangements of

Rambles Round Horton. 121

tlic hall arc those usually found in similar examples of the
domestic architecture of the period, and comprise central hall
open to the roof, with oaken gallery admitting to the retiring
rooms above, and eastern and western wings, containing
comfortable apartments such as are not always found in
modern residences. The hall or "house-body" is wainscotted
in oak of beautiful colour, and contains the armour and
other relics previously alluded to, also a small collection of
family portraits, including those of Abraham Sharp, the
mathematician ; Archdeacon Sharp, the son of the Arch-
bishop ; and others. The oak furniture of the hall is also
in harmony with its surroundings.

In an adjoining apartment there is a fine portrait of
Hogarth, painted by himself; an antique specimen of
needlework and embroidery, probably three centuries old ; •
and many articles of vertu, bespeaking the taste of the
owner. The library is on the upper floor, upon the corridor
of which there is a triptych taken from a Spanish monastery,
and in its way one of the treasures of the house. It is
divided into three folding leaves, containing compartments
depicting various scenes in the life of our Lord, in illuminated
colours of medieval workmanship. The library, from an
antiquarian and bibliographic point of view, is really valuable,
containing as it does collections of works representing the
earlier printing age, ancient MSS. in Gothic characters,
rescued from monastic archives on the Continent, besides
several valuable early English manuscripts.

An adjoining bedroom contains a massive and richly-
carved oak bedstead, which, tradition has it, once rested the
limbs of the Protector during his brief residence at Horton
Hall (the home of the Parliamentarian branch of the family).
So far as we are aware, however, there is no record of old
Noll ever having honoured Bradford by his presence ;
but it is an ungracious act to discredit old traditions,
and we tell the story " as 'twas told to us."

We may add that Mr. Powell possesses many of the
antiquarian tastes of his immediate predecessors at the Old
Hall, but his more active interest in current topics prevents
liis prosecuting the study of archaeology.

122 Rambles Round H or ton.

C H iV P T E R X I .

John Sharp, Archbishop of York — His Descent — His Early Years — His Promotion —
His Family — Granville Sharp the Pliilanthropist — Wm. Sharp, Surgeon — Dr.
Sharp, B'.R.S.

This paper we propose to devote to that branch of the
Sharp family with which John Sharp, D.D., Archbishop of
York, is usually associated, and from whom sprang two arch-
deacons of Northumberland, Granville Sharp, the celebrated
philanthropist, and others v/ho have lived honourably amongst
us. No apology should be needed for thus extending this
record of a family which, although its members may not have
been instrumental in introducing or extending the trade and
commerce of Bradford, has nevertheless produced those who
have served their country in the cause of religion and
philanthropy, in the walks of medical science, and in literature.

At the outset, however, we are confronted with a difficulty
which has prevented others who have made the attempt from
clearly establishing the connection between the Archbishop's
branch and that of the two families whose history we have
already traced. The difficulty appears to commence with the
question of the relationship of James Sharp, witness to the
will of Christopher Sharp, in 1530, and of Christopher Sharp,
whose will is dated 1543. Although the point has not been
clearly defined by the College of Arms, this James Sharp is
supposed to have been a brother or near relative of Chris.
Sharp, and father of James Sharp (grandfather of the Arch-
bishop), as he died before 1557, leaving his son James, of
Horton, clothier, who, according to Hopkinson's MS., lived in
" a house late belonging to Kirkstall Abbey," and whose will
is dated 1 590. The matter is not one to interest the general
reader, but to the genealogist it is a question which will
stimulate much research until the moot point is satisfactorily
set at rest.

From James Sharp, whose will is dated 1590, sprang
John of Woodhousc and Parkhouse, Bierley ; James, of
Woodhouse ; also Thomas, Grace, and Isaac. At present,

Rambles Round Hart on. 123

however, we follow the line of the second son, James, who
had with other issue James, of Woodhouse, who died in 1690,
the progenitor of the Sharps of Gildersome, afterwards of
Bradford ; and Thomas, of Bradford, born in 1606, and whose
will was dated 1671.

This younger son, Thomas, followed the trade of a
drysalter and oil dealer in Bradford. It is noticeable that
the business of drysalter, or " Salter " by abbreviation, was
common in Bradford in those early days, and must have been
a source of profit, as several families, the Stansfields and
others, derived from it considerable wealth. The house in
which Thomas Sharp resided and in which his eldest son,
John, afterwards Archbishop of York and Metropolitan of
England, was born, was situated upon the site of the building
adjoining the Unicorn Inn, in Ivegate, on the western or
upper side.

Within the recollection of old Bradfordians, the original
building stood with its antique gables fronting to that busy
thoroughfare, which, it is needless to add, is one of the
most ancient streets in Bradford. The original appearance,
however, is now unrecognisable, owing to the house having
been fronted with shop premises. The buikiing behind
contained many of its original features, until it was removed
within the present year to give place to a new erection.

Thomas Sharp, the drysalter, married Dorothy, daughter
of John Weddall, rector of Widdington, Yorks, and her
brother John settled in Bradford as a solicitor, if he did not
learn his profession here. His office was in Church Bank
or Stott Hill. The name of "John Weddall, attorney," is
familiar to any rummagcr of old legal documents relating
not only to Bradford, but to a wide district round about,
indicating that his practice was an extensive one. He died
in London suddenly and mysteriously, it was said, in the
year 1672.

In the Rev. Oliver Heywood's diary occurs the following
mention of Mr. Weddall : —

June, 1672. — .Mr. Weddall, of Bradford, who hath been as great an
attorney as any in the country, and was raised to a great estate of late,
had built a sumptuous new house near the church, and had many men's

124 Rambles Round Horton.

businesses upon his hands. We were at dinner lately at Mr. Milner's
funeral. Speaking of death, he said complimentally, " It will surely
come/' &c. I advised him not to go into his new house too soon. He
answered " No, not till Michaelmas." He had been exceeding intent
upon it, it must forward, was almost finished, he went up to the town,
came into London on Monday, June 17, or Tuesday, but he dyed on
Thursday, June 20, 1672. Some say he was seized upon by a palsy,
others that he had been at a tavern and got hurt with drinking, but he is
gone, and his wife takes on very heavily. They are left in a labyrinth of
trouble, not knowing how things stand. He purposed that should be the
last time of his going to London — so it proved.

Besides the future Archbishop, Thomas Sharp and
Dorothy his wife had several children, viz. : — Hannah,
Thomas, James, and Joshua. Their only daughter married
John Richardson, of Birks Hall, attorney-at-law. James
resided at Bradford in competence ; and Joshua received
knighthood in London.

The Archbishop's father and mother were religious and
hospitable people, but were of a different way of thinking
upon the disputes of those days. Thomas Sharp was inclined
to Puritanism, and much favoured the Parliamentarian party,
being himself in great favour with Lord Fairfax, who made
his head-quarters at the house in Ivegate when in these parts.
Among other expressions of his favour, the general is said to
have offered a commission to his host, which probably might
have been accepted had not his wife, who was a strenuous
Royalist, stoutly opposed the proposal.

From his parents the future Archbishop early received
those religious impressions which were never effaced. He
was sent at an early age to the Bradford Grammar School,
and while there his father had him taught a system of
shorthand for the purpose of taking down every Sunday the
sermons he heard at the Parish Church, and these he was
called upon to repeat to the family each Sunday evening.
This peculiar acquirement the Archbishop turned to good
account in his maturer years. He was never at any other school
than that of his native town, and he made such progress that
at fifteen years of age his father determined to send him
direct to the University and maintain him there for seven
years. He was accordingly admitted to Christ College,

Rmiiblcs Round Horfon. i-25

Cambridge, in April, 1660, just before the restoration of the
King, his tutor being Abraham Brooksbank, afterwards vicar
of Bradford.

While at Cambridge young Sharp was not idle, for in
addition to classics and divinity he seemed to have made
some progress in the study of chemistry and botany. In
1667 he left Cambridge owing to an attack of illness, and
returned to his fatlrer's house at Bradford, to take the chance
of preferment in some form. During his stay in Yorkshire
the future Archbishop was a candidate for the curacy of
Wibsey, but a more successful competitor obtained it. After
being raised to the archiepiscopacy he invited the incumbent
of Wibsey to dinner, and paid him the most marked attention
as the providential cause of his own elevation. He presently
afterwards received the appointment of domestic chaplain
to Sir Heneage Finch, then Solicitor-General, who ever
afterwards became his patron and friend.

Under his patron's roof, in Kensington House, young
Sharp zealously continued his studies, and received valuable
assistance from Sir Heneage Finch. In 1669 he took his M.A.
degree, but again, owing to the closeness of his application to
study, he was obliged to return to Bradford, and received
benefit by the change. The opportunity occurred also of
taking a last leave of his father, who was declining apace,
and who died about a month after he left him, namely, in the
year 1671. Returning to the home of Sir Heneage Finch,
his patron, now Attorney-General, procured him the Arch-
deaconry of Berkshire, Mr. Sharp being then only twenty-eight
years of age. His youth, indeed, caused him to accept the
office with some diffidence, but for his encouragement his
patron not only paid the expenses of his 'first visitation, but
lent him his own servants and horses. Upon Sir Heneage
Finch attaining the woolsack in 1673, his good offices towards
his favourite chaplain were again exercised, and in the year
1675 he disposed of three preferments upon him, namely,
by appointing him a prebend of Norwich, vicar of St.
Bartholomew's, and rector of St. Giles's-in-thc-Fields, all of
which preferments were accompanied with further deeds of
kindness.

126 Rambles Round Horfoii.

It was as rector of St. Giles's that Dr. Sharp first won
fame. During this period James II. had issued an order that
the clergy should not preach on Popery, but the doctor
notwithstanding preached his annual sermon, for which the
King ordered the Bishop of London to suspend him. The
Bishop refused, and this led to the seven bishops being sent
to the Tower of London, and then to the abdication of James.

Towards the end of the spring of 1676 Dr. Sharp
married Elizabeth, daughter of William Palmer, Esq., of
Winthrop, in Lincolnshire, the marriage being solemnised by
Dr. Tillotson, his intimate friend — another distinguished
Yorkshireman who filled an archiepiscopal throne as Arch-
bishop of Canterbury. Dr. Sharp's own elevation to the
Archbishopric of York took place in 1691. By the influence
of Lord Nottingham he had been promoted to the deanery of
Canterbury in 1689, vacant by the elevation of his friend
Tillotson, and in the summer of 1690 he visited Bradford,
where his mother still resided. In May, 1691, the aged
Archbishop of York, Lamplugh, died, and, by the joint
influence of Lord Nottingham and Archbishop Tillotson, Dr.
Sharp obtained the see. He was only in his forty-seventh
year when he mounted the archiepiscopal throne of York.

Soon after his consecration he first drew up a short
account of the most material things which had ever happened
to him till that time, and which laid the foundation for the
Archbishop's diary, from whence was drawn material for the
" Life of Archbishop Sharp," written by his son Thomas,
Archdeacon of Northumberland. Soon after the accession
of Queen Anne, when the Archbishop began to have more
business upon his hands, his memoranda grew more frequent
and particular, and instead of the weekly account he kept
a proper diary or journal, which from the year 1702 to 1713,
the last eleven years of his life, makes up five volumes quarto,
all written in his own shorthand.

Archbishop Sharp held the archiepiscopal see of York
longer than any of his predecessors since the Reformation
viz., above two and twenty years. During that long period
the con.scientious manner in which he discharged its duties
has long ago become historical. Although we cannot here

Rambles Round Hortoti. 127

follow up his career, prominence may be given to two rules
which at the outset he laid down for his own guidance — the
first being that no one but a Yorkshire clergyman should
hold a benefice in his gift ; his other rule was, never to
meddle in the election of members of Parliament. In
looking after his diocese and the clergy in it he has had no
successor more industrious ; while as a preacher he was
especially renowned. His published works are principally
sermons, and at one time he was remarkably prolific. He
was also an industrious collector of coins, and was a great
friend of Ralph Thoresby, the antiquary. Archbishop Sharp
died at Bath on February 2nd, 17 13, in the 70th year of his
aee. He lies interred in the Cathedral at York, where a
sumptuous monument is erected over his remains.

Of his marriage with Elizabeth Palmer the Archbishop
had fourteen children, seven sons and seven daughters, of
whom, however, two only of each sex survived him. Thomas,
his younger son, was made Archdeacon of Northumberland
in 1722, and was no less distinguished than the Archbishop
had been for integrity, piety, and a conscientious discharge
of his duty. His writings are very numerous. Among the
most valuable is a life of the Archbishop, which includes a
collection of many of his letters and other papers. He
married Judith, youngest daughter of Sir George Wheler, a
prebend of Durham, and died in 1758, having been the father
of a numerous offspring, of whom five sons and three
daughters arrived at maturity. His eldest son, John, suc-
ceeded to his father's principal dignities in the church, viz.,
as Prebendary of Durham and Archdeacon of Northumberland.
He was also vicar of Hartburn, and perpetual curate of
Bamburgh. He is distinguished in the records of British
humanity at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland — which as
a charitable asylum has a history almost unparalleled in
the kingdom.

Bamburgh Castle played an important part in the Wars
of the Roses ; the battles of Towton and Hexham, together
with the siege of Bamburgh Castle, which surrendered to
King Edward IV., tending to place the crown more firmly on
that monarch's head. Although of very ancient foundation,

128 Rambles Round Horton.

the castle acquired its present interest from its bequest by-
Lord Crewe, Bishop of Durham, along with considerable
estates in Durham and Northumberland, for the purposes of
benevolence, the augmentation of livings, the founding of
schools, &c. The fund seems to have been faithfully disbursed
by the trustees, but not upon any permanent system until
Dr. John Sharp succeeded to his father's position as chief of
the trustees, and took its affairs into his own management.

Bamburgh Castle is situated on an almost perpendicular
rock close to the sea, accessible only on the south-east side on
a spot where (according to the monkish historians) once stood
the palace of the kings of Northumberland, built by Ida about
the year 560, and part of the present ruins are supposed to be
the remains of his work, The rock on which it is placed is
1 50 ft. above low-water mark, and after the structure had
fallen to decay was famous only for the wreck of vessels and
the helpless cry of forlorn mariners thrown on the coast.
Some partial repairs had been undertaken for the purpose
of holding the manor courts and of forming a temporary
dwelling for a religious minister within the castle, when the
view of its stately remains of ancient grandeur and of the
distress and danger which surrounded them suggested to Dr.
Sharp more enlarged designs and ideas of relief proportionate
to the magnitude of the occasion. Plans were laid down and
preparations made for roofing and clearing out the great
tower or keep, and adapting its spacious contents to the
service of several charitable establishments. The upper
storey of the tower was formed into granaries, whence in
times of scarcity corn was distributed to the indigent,
without distinction, at a low price. The lower storey was
divided into rooms for the manor court; schools for educating
the children of the poor ; a hospital with accommodation for
incurables ; a dispensary and a general surgery, with cold
and warm baths for poor persons of all descriptions.

Dr. Sharp resided at Bamburgh several months in the
year, and during his life expended a large part of his own
property on the place. He died in April, 1792, having
bequeathed an estate, his library, and other property for
the preservation of the castle. At Bamburgh Castle are

Rambles Round Norton. 129

preserved many memorials of the Sharp family. Th.crc is
a very fine portrait of Archdeacon Sharp, also his ancient
Sedan chair ; and in the church a fine monument of him by
Chan trey.

William Sharp, another brother, was most eminent in
his profession as surgfjon in London, where he practised for
thirty-seven years, and was also surgeon to St. Bartholomew's
Hospital.

Granville Sharp, the most distinguished of the sons of
Archdeacon Sharp, was born at Durham in 1735, and was
intended for the London mercer)' trade. Passing over the
details of his younger days, a short outline of his life ought
to interest every Englishman. His great works ma)' be
classed under four principal heads, viz. :— The liberation
of African slaves in England ; the colonisation of Sierra
Leone ; the establishment of Episcopacy in America ; and
the abolition of the slave trade. To these may be added his
attempt to reconcile the British colonies with England at the
commencement of the American troubles. While his efforts
were at various periods directed towards one or other of the
above objects, his monument as a philanthropist is based
upon the self-denying efforts put forth by him in the interests
of the slave.

It has been customary to place the name of Clark.son
and Wilberforce in the front rank in the movement leading to
the abolition of slavery ; but, without detracting from the
good work done by them, it is simply a matter of history
that Granville Sharp first struck the blow which severed the
chain of the negro slave. Clarkson joined him, and the
two together prepared the way and made it possible for
Wilberforce to bring the subject before Parliament, and,
with the assistance of William Pitt, obtain the desired Acts
of Emancipation.

An instance of the length to which disrespect for human
freedom had proceeded may be quoted from the newspapers
of the period. Thus, in April, 1769, an advertisement
appeared in the London Gazetteer, in which, among other
"goods and chattels," mention was made of "a chesnut
gelding, a Tim Whisky, and a zvell made, good-tempered black

130 Rambles Round Norton.

boy.'' No wonder that such open dealing in human flesh
should have aroused the better feelings of men of Granville
Sharp's calibre. He had about ten trials during five years
before Lord Mansfield, Lord Chief Justice of I^ngland, for
setting free slaves in London, before he succeeded in getting
a declaration from the judge that English laws knew nothing
of slavery. When the action was brought against him for
having "stolen goods" in his possession, Granville Sharp
could not persuade a single barrister to take up his brief. All
these learned gentlemen said he was in the wrong, and that the
chief legal authority was against him. This was true enough,
but it had only the effect of spurring the noble-minded man
to further efibrt, one result being that he set to work to study
the laws of England for himself in order to defend his own
case. Granville Sharp succeeded 'in his first trial, and then
persevered in bringing on a succession of trials by obtaining
writs of habeas corpus against individual slave-holders ; but it
was not till after five years of personal fighting in the Court of
King's Bench that he obtained a final judgment in his favour.
Upon this, about 400 negroes were turned out into the streets
by their masters, and in their emergency the whole body
went to their liberator, Granville Sharp, who took care of
them until he had secured the colony of Sierra Leone for a
settlement and had seen them colonised, although this was
not accomplished without involving considerable labour and
embarassment upon the philanthropic promoter.

Granville Sharp's labours were equally conspicuous in
other important points affecting the national character,
which cannot at length be alluded to here. In addition to his
national labours he was an active promoter of various religious,
philanthropic, and literary institutions. He was also a
voluminous writer of controversial literature, and was learned
in languages. His death occurred in July, 181 3, at the age of
seventy-eight, and his remains lie at Fulham. A monument was,
however, raised to his memory by the African Institution, and
executed by Chan trey, in Poets' Corner, Westminster Abbey,
which contains an inscription setting forth his many virtues.

Having so far as space permits referred to the more
distinguished members of Archbishop Sharp's branch of his

Rambles Round Morton. 131

family, we turn with pleasure to the elder stock which, like
the junior branch, traces its descent from James Sharp, of
Horton, clothier, and Alice, his wife. As observed in noting
the Archbishop's descent, James Sharp had a son James, of
Woodhouse, in Bierley, the grandfather of Archbishop Sharp,
whose son Thomas has been referred to as the Archbishop's
father. An elder brother James also resided at Woodhouse,
and died there in 1690. During his lifetime, therefore, he was
a near neighbour of the celebrated Dr. Richardson, of Bierley
Hall. Some discrepancy exists in the published pedigrees as
to the issue of this James of Woodhouse, but there is little
doubt as to his being the progenitor of the Sharps of Cutler
Heights and Gildersome, from whom the Bradford Sharps
were descended. Following the pedigree drawn for R. Hey
Sharp, Esq., of York, we find that James Sharp's eldest son
was living at Tong in 1684. Another son, named Abraham,
was born in 1656, and resided at Cutler Heights. Abraham
Sharp, of Cutler Heights, appears to have died without issue,
his property being inherited by a fourth Abraham (for there
was a succession of that name), who died unmarried in 1841.
The property afterwards went to Samuel Sharp, architect,
then of Leeds, his nephew.

John Sharp, of Tong, the eldest son of his father James,
however, had a numerous following, his line being still
continued, and with every pro.spect of its continuance. His
son was William Sharp, of Bradford, whose only son having
issue was John Sharp, of Gildersome, who married Hannah
Milner, and died in 1753. His eldest son, John, born in
1737, married Sarah, daughter of Richard Hey, drysalter, of
Pudsey, and sister of four brothers who all distinguished
themselves, one being William Hey, F.R.S., of Leeds, surgeon ;
another, John Hey, D.D., Norrissian Professor of Divinity ;
a third, Samuel, M.A., President of Magdalen College,
Cambridge ; and the fourth Richard Hey, LL.D., of Herting-
fordbury, Hertford.

•i We are now brought in contact with members of the
Sharp family in whom Bradfordians have reason to feel an
especial interest. William Sharp, the eminent Bradford
surgeon, was the second son of John of Gildersome, having

132 Rambles Round Hoi'fon.

been pupil with his uncle, William Hey, of Leeds. He was
born in 1769, and after having held the appointment of house
surgeon of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London, settled in
Bradford in 1792, when in his twenty-fourth year. He
soon became pre-eminently the surgeon of Bradford, then
a pleasant little town of 5000 inhabitants, as well as of tlie
district, a position which he held until his death, and he
practised here for over forty years.

As a medical man and citizen Mr. Sharp was universally
respected for his professional talents and amiable character.
In addition to his medical duties Mr. Sharp was captain
of the Bradford Volunteers, enrolled in expectation of an
invasion by Buonaparte. He lived mostly in Kirkgate, in a
gabled house at the bottom of Dale Street, but some time
before his death erected a house in Manor Rov/, then at
the " outskirts " of Bradford. Mr. Sharp died suddenly in
November, 1833, aged sixty-four years. A monument was
erected to his memory by subscriptions raised by his friends
in Bradford. It is a marble sculpture representing a female
figure in an attitude of sorrow, and for years occupied a
position in the Boiling Chapel of the Bradford Parish Church.
The monument has since been removed to the corridor of the
Bradford Infirmary, where there is also a bust of the eminent
surgeon.

William Sharp had several brothers — John, who married
Mary Powell, of Whitkirk, and died s.p. in 1806; Richard, of
Gildersome, Vv^ho married Mary, a daughter of John Turton,
Esq., of Gildersome, and died in 1810 ; Abraham, the
youngest, who died unmarried in 1841 ; and Samuel, vicar
of Wakefield, who died in 1855, and had two sons, both
living, namely, the Rev. John Sharp, M.A., vicar of Horbury,
which living he has held for over fifty years ; and the Rev.
William Sharp, M.A., of Mareham Rectory, Boston.

Richard Sharp, of Gildersome, had three sons, who all
attained to prominent positions in life, namely, Richard Hey
Sharp, architect, of York, who died in 1853, aged sixty years ;
William Sharp, M.D., F.R.S., F.G.S., formerly of Bradford,
and now living at Horton House, Rugby; and Samuel Sharp,
of Leeds, architect, who died in 1874, aged sixty-six years.

Rambles Round Hoyton. 133

The only survivor of Richard Sharp's children, and the
representative of the elder branch of James Sharp, of Wood-
house, is, therefore, Dr. William Sharp, of Rugby.

The record of this gentleman's connection with a notable
Bradford family will doubtless be regarded with equal interest
to that of his distinguished uncle, William Sharp, the elder,
whose pupil he was, and to whose practice he succeeded on
the death of his uncle in 1833. At that period, too, his uncle's
residence in Manor Row became his, and there he continued
to reside. During the winter of 1838-9 Mr. Sharp delivered
in the Exchange Rooms a course of lectures on natural
philosophy, which excited considerable attention, and led to
the formation of the Bradford Philosophical Society, an
account of which is given in James's " History of Bradford,"
and of which Mr. Sharp was unanimously elected president.
While Mr. Sharp had before him the laudable object of
exciting attention to the pursuits of the higher branches of
science, he had mainly in view the inauguration of " local
museums," that formed in Bradford being the first of its kind
in the kingdom. Afterwards a paper read by him at the
meeting of the British Association, held at Birmingham in
1839, was so well received that it may be said to have had no
small share in the now general formation of local museums.

Mr. Sharp enjoyed the reputation of a skilful practitioner,
having successfully performed lithotomy five times. He is
the author of a medical work entitled " Practical Observations
on Injuries to the Head," besides other writings on medical
subjects. For thirteen years he was surgeon to the Bradford
Infirmary. In 1843 Mr. Sharp disposed of his practice to
Mr. R. H. Meade, who also became tenant of his house in
Manor Row, and went to reside at Rugby, in Warwickshire,
where he became a physician by two degrees of M.D. His
attachment to this neighbourhood, however, is sufficiently
indicated by the name given to the house in which he resides.
In 1840 Dr. Sharp was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.
He is not now in practice, but soon after settling at Rugby
pursued an investigation into Hahnemann's system of
medicine, which has gone on until the present time, with
the result that while not owning himself a disciple of

184 Rambles Round Horton.

Hahnemann, Dr. Sharp has found by a practical and
experimental inquiry into his method what may prove to
be a truly scientific basis for therapeutics — the healing of
diseases by medicine.

Dr. Sharp married Anne, a daughter of Saml. Hailstone,
Esq., attorney, who died in 1834, and for his second wife
Emma, daughter of the Rev. John Scott, M.A., of St. Mary's,
Hull. The remains of his first wife and her daughter lie in
the family vault in the Bradford Parish Church, where there
is a monument. Of his family three sons and one daughter
survive.

The reason for Dr. Sharp's selection of Rugby as a place
of residence was the education of his sons at the famous
school of Rugby, where the late Archbishop of Canterbury
(Dr. Tait) was then head master. To him Dr. Sharp pro-
posed in 1849 the introduction of the teaching of physical
science into the school curriculum. That proposal was
adopted, and Dr. Sharp had the pleasure of being the first
to begin such teaching in any public school. His eldest son,
John, after taking his degree at Oxford, was ordained in 1861
by Dr. Tait (then Bishop of London), and went out as "Rugby
Fox Master," to assist Mr. Robert Noble in his High School
(for high-caste natives) at Masulipatam, South India. Mr.
Noble dying in 1865, Mr. Sharp became principal until he
was driven home by ill-health in 1878. He married Elizabeth,
daughter of Dr. Maclean, of Oban, and has several children.

Dr. Sharp's second son, William Hey Sharp, M.A., has
recently been made a canon of the cathedral of Sydney, New
South Wales, by Bishop Barry, Primate of Australia. He is
head of the Church of England portion of the University of
Sydney ; and married Mary Edith Pattison, daughter of
Archdeacon Farr, of Adelaide. A third son, Granville
Sharp, M.A., is assistant master of Marlborough College,
Wiltshire.

Rambles Round Hoyton. 135

CHAPTER XII.

Little Horton Green — All Saints' Church — The Old Workhouse^ — "Skinny Booth"
— Frank Ackroyd — The Moulson Family — Abraham Balme — Edmund Riley —
Benjamin Kaye.

For a little while Ioniser we must linger at Horton
Green, noticing in this topographical ramble what may appear
of interest. Unquestionably the grandest pile that has been
erected under the auspices of the Bradford Church Building
Society is All Saints' Church, Horton Green. Both the site
and the cost of the erection have been provided at the sole
expense of the founder, F. S. Powell, Esq.

This church, one of the choicest specimens of Decorated
Gothic architecture to be found in the North of England,
was built from designs by Messrs. Mallinson & Healey, of
Bradford, Mr. Israel Thornton being the contractor for the
whole of the works. The edifice is in the form of a Latin
cross, with nave, side aisles, transepts, and chancel, the length
of the church internally being about 137 feet. Pillars with
clustered shafts and admirably-carved capitals of flowers and
leaves divide the side aisles from the nave. The tower, with
spire, is of semi-hexagon design, and rises to a great heig-ht.
The windows are filled with stained glass of great beauty.
Marble steps lead to the altar, and the stalls for the choir, the
reading-desk, and pulpit are elaborately and beautifully carved.
Taken altogether. All Saints' Church stands unrivalled in
these parts for architectural beauty and internal arrangement.
The corner-stone was laid on November 23, 1861, and the
edifice was consecrated in March, 1864, having cost upwards
of ;^ 1 5,000.

Until the erection of All Saints' Church the ground
upon which it stands formed part of the wastes of Horton,
and in the township survey of 1802 is called Little Horton
Green, without owner's name, the area being estimated at
6a. 2r. 3p. The shaft of a coal-pit was after the above date
sunk upon the site of the church, the coal being worked by
David Armitage. The ground' was, however, claimed by Mr.

136 Rambles Round Horton.

Francis S. Bridges, of the Old Hall, as part of his share of
the wastes, and was enclosed.

The iirst building erected upon the Green was the
township Workhouse, after the previous one, which stood in
what is now Horton Park, had been vacated. For many-
years the building (still standing) was used for housing the
poor of Horton. The introduction of the New Poor Law,
however, necessitated a change in the arrangements, an after-
effect being the erection of the stupendous pile called the
Bradford Workhouse, upon a large open space formerly the
park of Horton Hall. After the building on the Green
became no longer necessary, it was converted into dwellings.
One of the first tenants, we believe, was Mr. Tom Mitchell,
father of Mr. Abraham Mitchell, of Bowling Parks. Mr.
William Pullan followed, and lived there for forty-five years,
his son Robert succeeding him. Another portion was taken
by Mrs. Milner, who, with Miss Hauptmann, an unmarried
sister, resided there some time.

The appearance of Horton Green, with the exceptions
just named, has undergone less alteration than probably any
other portion of the residential parts of Horton, and it still
remains a pleasant quarter of the great borough. Formerly
there stood upon the upper side of the Green a large plane
tree, whose umbrageous shade.

For talking age and whispering lovers made,

answered well its purpose for several generations of
Hortonians, while but a slender stretch of the imagination
is required to picture the " village train from labour free "
assembling round it for sport and recreation such as were
usual in the " good old days." Gardens, orchards, old-
fashioned dwellings of the better class, and homesteads,
where the labours of the husbandman were combined
with that of handloom weaving, constituted the primitive
surroundings of this picturesque hamlet.

There were formerly many freeholds on the Green,
principally held by the Sharps, the Listers, the Swaines, the
Balmes, and the Dentons. We incline to the belief that in
more remote times the Booth family had possessions, if not

Rauiblcs Round Morton. 137

a residence, on the Green. This opinion is founded on an
indenture bearing date April, 1603, wherein Thomas Booth,
of Little Horton, clothier, assigns to Richard Booth, of
Horton, clothier, his brother, a lease of " all that messuage in
Horton," occupied by the latter, with several closes of land
bought from Thomas Wood, temp. 33rd Elizabeth. By
another indenture, dated 1654, John Booth, yeoman, of
Horton, conveys to Henry Pollard, clothier, a house and
closes of land adjoining the lands of Thomas Swaine. The
whole of the property abutting on Horton Green, however,
has now been acquired by Mr. Francis Sharp Powell, who has
expended a considerable sum in improving the surroundings.
In addition to the families named as owners there have
been several tenants of long standing on the Green, whose
names are intimately associated with the locality. Taking
their residences in the order in which they stood on the north
side of Horton Green we look in at the old house next to
Horton Old Hall, associated in times past with the name of
John Booth. In 1802 the property belonged to James Swaine,
Booth being the tenant. " Skinny Booth " was the familiar
title bestowed upon this representative of the Booth family,
but he bore no relation to the Booths above referred to. The
appellation it would seem was justified, as Booth was a man
of most penurious propensities. It is said that his constant
Sunday morning amusement was to bring out his golden
guineas, pile them up on a table, and then knock them down
again to see how far they would spread themselves out ! After
his death the house in which he lived was found to be in a
sad state of neglect. It is a large, rambling building of the
early seventeenth century period, and although without family,
Booth occupied the whole. Most of the rooms, however, were
fastened up, some of them not having been entered for years.
When broken into the walls and ceilings were found to be
thickly festooned with cobwebs, and the formerly whitewashed
walls contained charcoaled scrawls of sums of arithmetic, the
names of persons owing him money, and " Skinny " Booth's
remarks upon the sin of not paying twenty shillings in the
pound ! John Booth was a farmer upon a small scale, but he
must have amassed wealth by other means.

138 Rambles Round Horton.

Just behind Booth's house lived David Stephenson,
for twenty years steward to Mr. Bridges, who afterwards built
Stephenson Fold, Horton. It was his daughter, the present
Mrs. \Vm. Draper, who, as servant to Mr. Bridges, so
courageously withstood a gang of burglars that broke into
the Old Hall on a Sunday night in October, 1843. That was
a period when burglaries were very common in the neighbour-
hood. The Stephensons were very old inhabitants of Horton
Green. One of their houses, inhabited by John Stephenson,
was owned by Mary Balme, a descendant of the family of that
name to which reference has previously been made. Edward
Balme and John Balme subsequently became owners of the
property.

The little brick house adjoining John Booth's was built
by the Denton family, a member of which, named Samuel
Denton, married a sister of Samuel Cordingley, the steward
for the Bridges estate after David Stephenson. His son, Mr.
John Denton, is at present steward for Mr. F. S. Powell.

The substantially-built house situated nearer to Laistridge
Lane, and long occupied by Alderman William Moulson, has
doubtless an interesting history attaching to it, if stones and
oak panelling were communicative subjects. There is no
inscription either within or without the house, but the period
of its erection might be placed at fully two centuries ago.
In the Horton plan of 1802 the owner was Mrs. Hodsden,
of Horton House, an almost certain indication that it had
been the property and was perhaps a residence of the Lister
family of Horton, whose property Mrs. Hodsden (previously
the wife of Samuel Lister, Esq., the last of the name at
Horton) inherited.

Mrs. Hodsden's tenant in 1802 was Francis Ackroyd.
He was the head of a family which has done much towards
developing commercial industry in the neighbourhood. Old
Frank (colloquially " Frcnk ") was a worsted-piece maker, and
a member of the Independent congregation at Horton Lane.
He followed his trade at Horton Green in the fashion common
to the period, giving out work to neighbouring workpeople,
until he removed to a house on the site of which the Neptune
Inn, Bridge Street, was afterwards erected. Originally,

Rambles Round H or ton. 139

however, we believe the Ackroyd family came from the
neighbourhood of Otley, in Wharfedale.

Frank Ackroyd had a numerous family of sons, all of
them men of some standing in commercial circles. Of these
were Joseph, Thomas, William, Francis, Cowling, and Robert
Stables Ackroyd. It is unnecessary to follow the fortunes of
the several sons. Suffice it that the second son Thomas had,
in the year 1817, erected for his occupation Mirypond Mill, at
Horton Bank Top, by Mr, E. C. Lister, of Manningham,
and there he continued the worsted manufacture until he
established the business at Birkenshaw Mills since carried on
by his sons. William, the third son of old Frank, went to
Otley, where he also founded a large manufacturing establish-
ment. Cowling Ackroyd was a prominent Hortonian for
many years, as we have had occasion to remark, he having
succeeded the Knights, of Great Horton, an equally notable
family. Robert Stables Ackroyd built the original Fieldhead
Mill, now the property of Alderman I. Smith.

Thomas Booth succeeded old Frank Ackroyd at his
Horton Green residence in the early part of the century.
Booth was also a piecemaker, and the large room of the old
house was occupied with handlooms, the " clickatty-clack " of
which was so familiar a sound in those days. A portion of
the house, however, was occupied by Thomas Waddington,
whose daughter Booth married. A brother of Isaac Pitman,
whose system of shorthand has since become of such repute,
was a schoolmaster at Little Horton, and lodged at Thomas
Booth's, finally marrying his daughter. He also taught
shorthand, then known as " stenographic sound hand."

Since the year 1848, however, the substantial old residence
in question has been wholly occupied by Alderman William
Moulson. The Moulsons have been connected with the
township of Horton since about the commencement of the
century. Originally they came from Emley, near Hudders-
field. From the first until now they have been connected
with the stone trade, either as quarrymen or builders, and in
that capacity have necessarily had a considerable share in the
construction of Bradford town. The first generation consisted
of three brothers — William, David, and George. They were

140 RcDiibles Round H or ton.

fair specimens of the typo of Yorkshiremen left by our Saxon
progenitors. William and David lived in Planetree Fold, a
cluster of dwellings which has been swept out of existence
by railway operations ; the former subsequently building and
becoming the landlord of the Black Bull Inn at Little Horton.
George was unfortunately killed in a coalpit, and his son
John lost his life in 1825 during the erection of the
extension to Rand's Mill which overlooks the burial-ground
of old Horton Lane Chapel. The family is still strongly
represented in Horton.

There is a tolerably good house standing at the end of
the Green, with a barn attached, which has also its associa-
tions. At present, and for many years back, it has been the
residence of Mrs. Clark, a daughter of Abraham Balme,
formerly assistant-overseer of Horton, and a well-known
townsman. Judging by the inscribed stone over the doorway
the date of the erection of this house was 1755, and the
initials are F. S. There is also the chevron of the arms of
Sharp upon the stone. The erection must, therefore, be
ascribed to Faith Sawrey, the last lineal descendant of the
elder branch of the Sharp family.

The property, of course, passed to her successors, as is
confirmed by an indenture of lease made in 1789 between
Charles Swainc Booth Sharp, of Horton Hall, in favour of
Benjamin Kaye, cotton manufacturer and farmer, of " all that
messuage, kc, where Samuel Swaine did lately dwell ; also of
certain closes called Gooselands " (now forming part of
Horton Park). In 1807 Madam Sharp, widow of the above,
renewed the lease to Benjamin Kaye, who was succeeded by
Abraham Balme, his nephew.

The cotton manufacture, it would appear, was a con-
siderable industry in Horton about the beginning of the
present century, and Mr. Kaye was one of the largest dealers
in the trade. His workshops, since made into cottages, still
adjoin his former residence on Horton Green. He afterwards
removed his business to Allerton Hall, where it was conducted
on a larger scale, his waggons being always upon the road
between that place and Manchester, then as now the chief
market for cotton.

Rambles Round Horfo/i. i4i

His nephew, Abraham Bahne, succeeded to the premises
at Horton Green, and was also a cotton-piece maker on a
somewhat extensive scale. He was a native of Wilsden Hill,
but when quite a youth came to Horton to learn the business
with his uncle. On the cotton trade declining, Mr. Balme
took up the making of worsted, but developed abilities for
parochial work which were for many years of service to the
township of Horton. As assistant overseer and in similar
capacities he enjoyed well merited respect, and on his retire-
ment was succeeded in the former position by Mr. Thomas
Myers.

The three-storeyed house opposite Abraham Balme's
was built by Samuel Swaine for his own residence, and in
which he carried on the cotton trade ; and in one portion
John Riley also made cotton pieces on a smaller scale. Two
of his sons were Joseph Riley and Edmund Riley, previously
referred to as assistants to Joseph Hinchliffe, of Horton
House Academy, and afterwards schoolmasters upon their
own account. Edmund Riley published in 1859 a small
volume of poems, comprising " Picciola, or the Prison
Flower," and a versified rendering of " The Lord's Prayer."
The little volume also contains an Allegory in prose.
Although faulty in composition, the poems afford indication
of a lofty imagination and an aspiration beyond the power of
poetic expression vouchsafed to the author. Mr, Riley also
published some very nicely written "Juvenile Tales," one of
which is founded on the story of " Fair Becca," the scene of
which he gives as Brackenhall Green.

Another old resident of Horton Green was John Blamires,
who resided at the farm near the end of Laistridge Lane. He
was also a farmer and piece maker, and was the first steward
employed upon the Bridges' Estate. Thomas Duckitt suc-
ceeded Blamires upon this farm, and occupied it for many
years. Still another well-known figure on the Green was that
of Robert Heaton, whose garden and orchard were pleasant
resorts in past times. Man}' other incidents might doubtless
be added in connection with some former inhabitants here
resident, but we must pass on to notice other places.

142 Rambles Roinid H art on.

CHAPTER XIII.

The Old Red Lion— Holme Top— The "Old House at Home" — Horton Park —
Horton Mlla — The Cousen Family — Wm. Richardson— Todwell — Quaker Lane—
The Old Black Horse— The Hammond Family — Chapel Green — The Thorntons.

In immediate proximity to Horton Green stands the Old
Red Lion Inn — but not the building now known by that name,
as the original inn was of the humblest description, consisting
of one or two low rooms, with plenty of space around and in
front of it. In this condition it remained at the beginning of
the present century. The owner at that early period was a
Mr. Glenton, and the landlady, Mary White. The building
shortly afterwards had a storey added to it, and so remained
until the licence was transferred to the present building,
which is situate a little higher up Horton Lane. Mr. Joseph
Baxter then became the landlord, and his widow married
Robert Dunn, who was "mine host" in 1837, Mrs. Dunn
afterwards remov^ed to the Bermondsey Hotel, in Cannon
Street, Bradford, and at the latter place her name is associated
with the introduction of the music-hall element upon the
London plan into Bradford.

The good house at the lower corner of Holme Top Lane
was built by Mr. Jos. Barrans, farmer, horse dealer, and piece
maker. Barrans was a man of some substance, and belonged
to all the land upon which Holme Top Mills and other
property adjoining have been erected. The house at Holme
Top was afterwards purchased by Mr. Richard Denton, who
resided there, he being succeeded by Mr. Thomas Ackroyd,
of Mirypond Mill, Bank Top.

The house lower down Holme Top Lane was the
residence of " Dick Smith," who despite his familiar
appellation was in his time the largest worsted spinner in
Bradford. Mr. John Wood (of Wood & Walker's), Mr.
Thomas Clayton, Mr. Wm. Cousen, and Mr. Thomas Aked,
men of some standing in the early Bradford trade, all learnt
their business with Mr. Smith, who afterwards removed his
residence to Lower Burnet Field by an exchange with John

Rambles Round H or ton. 143

Stowell. As previously intimated, " Dick Smith Mill " formed
the nucleus of the present extensive manufactory owned by
Messrs. Mitchell Bros., situate at the foot of Old Bowling Lane.

In the very old house at the upper corner of Holme
Top Lane lived John Clayton, and here by dint of patient
plodding and industry he brought up a family of thirteen
children. John was a small piece maker and kept combers,
and might have been termed in a fair way of business, as he
flourished at a period when a pair of looms and a " pot o'
four " for as many woolcombers constituted a respectable
stock-in-trade. He was one of the first to introduce mule
spinning by hand into Bradford, and in this capacity
employed a few hands. His sons were Joseph, William,
James, Thomas, and John Clayton, the two latter being both
well-known woolstaplers of Bradford. James Clayton was
somewhat eccentric, but an intelligent man. He was a good
mathematician and meteorologist, upon which latter subject he
wrote and published several pamphlets which are now very
scarce, besides many articles in the magazines of the day.
An earlier member of the same family gave the name to
Clayton Lane by the erection of a substantial house bearing
the initials J. C, and the date 1776.

Clayton's house at Holme Top is probably one of the
most ancient dwellings left in Horton. In deeds dated 1757
the building is called The Holme Top, and at that period was
the property of Joshua Stansfield, stuff maker, who carried
on his business there, besides owning three cottages adjoining,
tenanted by William Laycock, John Moulson, and Henry
Blackburn. Stansfield also owned closes of land known as
Bowling Mill Close, the South Field, the Ing, &c. Joshua
Stansfield was probably of the family of Robert Stansfield,
who married a daughter of the Rev. Thomas Sharp, of
Horton Hall, as evidence exists that the Bowling Close field
formed part of the Sharp estate, and was disposed of by Mr.
Powell to the late Sir Henry W. Ripley. The old house is now
the property of Mr. Michael Smith, and is about to be
cleared away.

On the opposite side of Horton Lane, however, there still
remains a building of antique construction, and of considerable

I4:'j Raiubles Round Horfon.

interest on that account, which is well known as the ''Old House

at Home." It stands some little distance back from the Lane,

having an extensive frontage, with garden and open space in

front. There is also a pro- The windows are mul

I. S.

jecting porch, bearing the
following inscription : —

1669

Honed, and the interior of
the house bears evident

indication of its having been the residence of a gentleman.
There is a stupendous fireplace in the kitchen.

Tradition has generally ascribed the erection of this
remnant of past times to Isaac Sharp, the younger brother
of Thomas Sharp, of Horton Hall, and that it was what was
termed the "dower" house of the family. It is probably the
building alluded to in Thomas Sharp's will, dated 1693,
described as " his house and land at Holme Top," which were
bequeathed to his son John when he came of age. If this
hypothesis be correct, it becomes a question difficult of
explanation why the property should have passed into the
liands of the Listers of Manningham. In 1753 the land
surrounding it belonged to Robert Stansfield, drysalter, who
married Miss Sharp, and was farmed by Jacob Hudson, who
lived at the house. Jacob afterwards purchased the old
homestead knov/n as the " Skinhouse."

In the hands of Mrs. Lister, however, the property was
during the township survey of 1802, John Jowett being then
the occupier; and it was purchased by Mr. Powell some
years ago of Mr. John Cunliffe Kaye, brother of Mr. S. C.
Lister. One of the former occupants of the " Old House at
Home" was Tom Firth, a carrier. William Jowett and John
Crabtree, of Shipley, also farmed the land afterwards, but for
some years the building has been divided, one portion being
occupied by Mr. Benjamin Sugdcn as an inn bearing the
above " homely " sign.

Directly opposite to this house is the Horton Moravian
Chapel, a neat little structure, of comparatively recent erection.
The chapel was opened on December 28, 1838, at a cost of
about i^700, one of the most active promoters having been
the late Joseph Hinchliffe, of Horton House Academy.
Although involving what would be considered nowadays a
very moderate responsibility where the erection of a place of

Rambles Round Hoytou.

145

146 Rambles Round Horton.

worship is concerned, it was by no means a small undertaking
that the Horton Moravians entered upon ; but they were
supported by gentlemen like Mr. Henry Leah and others, and
came through the ordeal. The neighbourhood at that time
had a growing population, but comparatively neglected in the
provision of places of worship. Additional school-rooms
have since been erected in the rear. The history of Horton
Moravianism, however, dates from a much earlier period than
the year 1838, the original place of meeting havmg been in
Paternoster Lane, Great Horton, to wh.ich reference will
subsequently be made.

Holme Top Mill was built by John and Squire Stowell
in 1835. The two brothers had previously been in partnership
with Thomas, John, and Francis Mitchell at a little factory in
Manchester Road ; when Mr. Tom Mitchell retired and went
into partnership with Mr. Geo. Turner at " Dick Smith Mill,"
which after Mr. Smith's death had stood empty a while.
Holme Top Mills were afterwards occupied and became the
property of the late Alderman S. Smith, of Melbourne Place,
and his brother Michael, and of late years have been let off
to tenants.

^ Holme Top has given birth to at least one family of
more than ordinary note. Nathaniel Hulme, M.D. and F.R.S.,
and Joseph Hulme, M.D., were both born at Holme Top.
They were the sons of Mr. Samuel Hulme, some time
minister at Kipping, Thornton. Joseph Hulme was educated
for the ministry, but afterwards studied medicine, and practised
at Halifax, where he died in 1806, in his ninety-second year,
a skilful physician and very rich man. His brother Nathaniel
was born in 1732, and graduated at Edinburgh in 1765. He
became physician to the Charterhouse, one of the most
desirable preferments in the profession, and was admitted a
Fellow of the Royal Society in 1794. His death occurred in
1807, having been caused by a fall from the top of the
staircase in his house to the basement.

What is now called Horton Villa, the residence of Mr.
John Harper Mitchell, was at one time the abode of a family
which has produced members of more than ordinary ability
in the artistic world. James Cousen, formerly a woollen

Rambles Round Hoj'ton. 147

draper in Ivegate, lived there in the early part of the century,
succeeding James Mann, the former owner, who had married ,
his daughter. Cousen afterwards resided at Boldshay Hall
and at Miryshay, where he joined the firm of Rawson,
Clayton & Cousen, coal merchants, and died at Miryshay in
1844, leaving a family of six sons and two daughters. Of
his sons several were engaged in the Bradford trade, while
others became eminent in art work.

John Cousen, who was born in 1804, was articled when
about fifteen years of age to the celebrated John Scott, the
animal engraver. During his pupilage he evinced consider-
able talent, and at its close was engaged by the Messrs.
Finden to assist them in the various publications then
illustrated by them ; but after three or four years spent in
their service his beautiful work in landscape engraving
attracted the attention of other publishers, from whom he
accepted commissions on his own account. He engraved
many charming plates after Turner, Stanfield, David Roberts,
and others, his " Mercury and Herse," after Turner, the
" Victory towed into Gibraltar," and " The Morning After the
Wreck," after Stanfield, are among his most important works.
He also engraved the frontispiece of the " History of Brad-
ford," drawn by his brother Charles, and a few other local
works. In all his work he displayed a refined taste and
artistic feeling such as have not been exceeded by any other
engraver of his time, his most exquisite taste being perhaps
best displayed in his small book plates after Turner, which are
full of artistic feeling and playful execution. Mr. Cousen was
very retiring and unassuming in his habits and manners, and
was much esteemed by those who had an opportunity of
knowing him. In consequence of poor health he retired from
the practice of his art about twenty years ago, and died at
South Norwood, Surrey, on December 26, 1880, in his
seventy-seventh year.

Charles Cousen was born in 18 13, and was a pupil of his
brother John. He also acquired a considerable portion of
his brother's excellence besides exhibiting characteristics of
his own, combining to some extent figure with landscape
engraving. He is still engaged in the pursuit of his art, the

148 Rambles Round Horfon.

last surviving member of his family. The engraving of
Bierley Hall in the " History of Bradford " is from his
pencil, in addition to the drawing of the frontispiece already
referred to.

William, the oldest son of James Cousen, was a
manufacturer, and in 1819, in conjunction with his father,
he completed the erection of Cross Lane Mill, Great Horton,
commenced by Eli Sudderds, which he occupied for some
years. He married for his second wife Phcebe, only daughter
of Samuel Blamires, jun., and built a house near the mill for
his residence. By this marriage Mr. Cousen acquired the
property of this branch of the Blamires family. His son by
his first marriage is the present Mr. James Cousen, lord of
the manor of Horton. All the Cousen family w^ere remarkable
for their stature, and their father used to say that he had
" six-and-thirty feet of lads."

It may be added that Horton Villa, which is quite ar
modern title, was for some time the residence of Mr. W.
Chapman Haigh. The adjoining farmhouse was inhabited
by Mr. William Richardson, professor of natural philosophy
and an accredited lecturer of the Society of Arts. For many
years Mr. Richardson was identified with this neighbourhood
as a scientific lecturer, and in his especial walk it may be said
that he has left no successor in this part of the country. He
was a self-taught man, having had but the humblest chances
in early life, and took an especial delight in instilling into
others a love of scientific knowledge. He had consequently
many disciples, who revered him as a father. In addition to
his ability in the art of instruction, Mr. Richardson was a
practical workman, having made all his own scientific
apparatus, besides others sent to all parts of the kingdom.
He was also a fluent exponent of dramatic literature, and
a rich conversationalist on most subjects. Mr. Richardson
was a native of Brookfoot, near Brighouse, and died at
Southowram, in June, 1878, aged seventy-three }'ears.

In immediate proximity to Horton Villa is the spacious
ground of the Bradford Cricket and Athletic Club, situate in
Park Av^enue, which in capacity and appointments is not
surpassed by any similar ground in England. The land

Rambles Round Hart on. i49

belongs to Mr. F. S. Powell, from whom a lease of fourteen
years was obtained in February, 1879. This lease, however,
only referred to about eight and a-half acres, but in February,
1884, an additional one and a-half acres were taken in,
making the present area of the ground about ten acres. The
ground is divided into cricket and football sections, with
large pavilions, grand stands, and other appointments. The
procuring of this ground points to a very critical period in
the history of cricket in Bradford. When the Bradford Old
Cricket Club were obliged in 1875 to give up possession of
the field in Horton Road (their predecessors having in like
manner been ousted from a former ground now the site of
Claremont), they knew not where to look for another suitable
spot. Fortunately, by the friendly co-operation of Mr. F. S.
Powell, the present site at Park Avenue was obtained, and
it is not too much to state that, by the successes of the cricket
and football sections of the club combined, " Park Avenue "
is a locale known favourably throughout England. It should
be added that the promoters are much indebted to Mr. J.
Harper Mitchell for generously giving up a portion of his
grounds in order that the quantity of land required, both
for the original and subsequent requirements of the club,
might be obtained.

Horton Park was opened in May, 1878. In extent this
popular resort for recreation is about forty acres, and included
in it is a spacious cricket ground, detached from the Park.
Including the laying-out, &c., it has cost the ratepayers of
Bradford about ^42,000. The site was obtained by throwing
together a number of fields forming separate properties, and
some negotiation was requisite in order to bring the whole
together in park-like form. Several fields constituting an
area of seventeen acres, and comprising Low Close Farm,
were purchased from the Bower family for ^{^3000. The
Well Close House Estate, comprising twelve acres, was
purchased from Noble's trustees for ^10,212. A purchase,
comprising over seven acres, was made from Mr. Thos. Firth
for ;^7o68 ; and a further sum of ;^648o was paid to Mr.
Gamble for about seven acres of land. In conducting these
negotiations, and in carrying forward the movement generally.

150 Rambles Round Hortoii.

it will be by no means invidious to mention the name of
Alderman John Hardaker as a principal. Although not
opened until the year 1878, the initiatory proceedings in
connection with Horton Park were taken at the Council
meeting held in May, 1870, wlien it was decided to purchase
Manningham Park, and on the same occasion a promise was
extorted from the Council that similar parks should also
be provided for Horton and Bowling. On the occasion
referred to, a powerful appeal was made for public recreation
grounds by the late Alderman Mark Dawson, who with great
appropriateness quoted the Cowperian lines —

A breath of unadulterate air,
The glimpse of a green pasture, how they cheer
The citizen, and brace his languid frame.

Horton Park is 630 feet above sea level, and 300 feet above
the level of Market Street. It is needless to state that as a
place of public resort the park is largely frequented ; the
display of greenhouse and other flowers being during the
season a great attraction. Mr. Michael Lander has been the
head gardener from the formation.

The next object attracting attention is the building
known as Mount Carmcl Chapel, opposite the entrance to
Horton Villa, erected in 1836, by John Parkinson, for the
Gospel Pilgrims. Mr. Parkinson was one of the old Bradford
booksellers, a business in which he was engaged for nearly
fifty years. After leaving Little Horton he removed to Hull,
and thence to Colne, in Lancashire, where he still continued
the business until his death in i860. On his removal to
Hull Mr. Parkinson joined the Primitive Methodist Society,
amongst whom he laboured as a local preacher until his
decease. Mount Carmel Chapel, however, has had an
unfortunate history, having been degraded into a workshop
and for other purposes. It has now reverted to uses more
in harmony with its former design, having become a mission-
room of All Saints' Church.

On the ojDposite side of the lane leading from Park Lane
may be seen a portion of the buildings formerly used as a
coai-stafth by the Low Moor Company. In the days when
railways were unknown, and coal was generally carted from a

Rambles Round Horton. i5i

distance for domestic use as well as for the requirements of
the rising worsted trade, the coal-staiths of the Bowling and
Low Moor Companies were a convenience, as the stores were
brought comparatively near the consumer by means of tram-
ways or waggon-roads. Such a tramway brought Low Moor
coal from the pits at Brownroyd Hill and Wibsey to Little
Horton, and from thence it was carted to all parts of the
town by the company's vehicles. The stables of the company
were consequently extensive. The agent in charge was Paul
Bairstow, who lived upon the spot, and was a great man in
the neighbourhood, with which his family had been long
associated. Briggella Mills, the property of Messrs. John
Briggs & Sons, occupy a portion of the site of the old staith
and tramroad.

Tod (or Toad) Well Farm, opposite, is an old homestead,
associated with the Knight family. In 1753, John Knight
was the owner and occupier ; and in 1800, Isaac Knight, his
son, a carrier and farmer, the progenitors of the Knights of
Great Horton. William Cass, constable and overseer of
Little Horton, for many years lived in the lane leading to
Todwell. A very old house, belonging to the elder Sharp's
estate, is situate just above Todwell, the land being farmed
by Joseph Bennett. Immediately above comes the Dclph
Hole or Barley Fold, the site of which was waste ground in
the township survey of 1802. Abutting upon it was Clough
House, the residence of James Clough, quarry owner, who
built a number of the cottage houses in the neighbourhood.
He died in 1871, at ninety years of age. The maltkiln in
Barley Fold is associated with the name of Jonas Jowett,
maltster, also of those of Stockhill and Green. The extra-
ordinary feat of building a house in a day and sleeping in it
at night, in order to acquire a title, was accomplished on this
bit of waste ground.

Skirting Todwell Farm is Quaker Lane, which by sundry
bends emerges in Southfield Lane. Although little more
than an occupation road it is probably one of the oldest
bypaths in Horton, and from its retired position was chosen as
an appropriate place of burial by the early Bradford members of
the Society of Friends. From an examination of the society's

152 Rambles Round Horton.

burial registers, it would appear that the first interment at the
Quaker Lane burial ground was made in the year 1656, and
was that of one Thomas Judson. Between that period and
1699 twenty-six interments took place in the above ground,
the last being that of the body of John Appleyard, of Bowling.

The following is a list of some of the names of Quakers
buried at Horton, with the dates of interment, viz. : — 1656,
Thos. Judson ; 1658, Richd. Thornton ; 1660, Grace, wife of
Jas. Marshall, Bradford ; 1664, Esther, wife of Robt. Birkby ;
Thos. Kitchen, Bradford ; Dorothy, wife of John Verity,
Wibsey ; 1665, the wife of Zachary Yewdall ; 1667, Jeremy,
son of Wm. Croasdale, Bradford ; 1668, Sarah, wife of Jonas
Bond ; Hannah, daughter of William Cook ; Mabel, wife of
Moses Sykes ; 1669, Susannah Judson ; Thos. Hird, Bradford ;
1670, Elizabeth, daughter of John Winn ; 1671, Mary Hillas ;
1673, Mary Verity, Thos. Parker, Thos. Kitchen, and Jacob
Winn ; 1681, Martha, daughter of John Jowett ; 1683, John
Verity, Wibsey ; 1684, Robt. Birkby, Wibsey ; 1692, John
Jowett, Bowling ; 1696, Ann, wife of John Appleyard ; 1697,
Sarah, wife of Isaiah Verity ; 1699, Paul, son of John
Harwood, Bradford ; Edward Wood, Great Horton ; John
Appleyard the elder. Bowling. Elizabeth Winn was the
daughter of John Winn, the persecuted Quaker preacher.

The first interment at the Quaker burial ground at
Goodmansend was that of Matthew Wright, who gave the
ground, and, strange to say, was the first to be laid in it.
That was in the year 1672, so that Quaker burials at
Horton were continued for some time after the Goodmansend
ground had come into use. It is even said that within
the recollection of old inhabitants of Horton living at the
beginning of this century interments were occasionally made,
and they were understood to be the bodies of suicides, buried
at midnight. However, the ground belonged to the Quakers
in 1830, and was purchased from them by John Hardy, a
small quarryman, who erected his present house upon the
site. In making the excavations he found abundant evidence
of the sacred uses to which it had been devoted.

Continuing our ramble to the top of Horton Lane we
pass the Old Black Horse Inn, famous in the days of

Rambles Round Hortoii. 153

" Wibsey weddings " during the time when there were many
colliers in the district. The landlady at that day was Pal
Hammond, or " Hawmond," who when the orgies of her
customers were at their height often asserted her authority in
a manner to astonish even the rough collier lads. Pal was a
match for her customers otherwise than physically. Being
" plain of speech " and an adept in her native Doric, she was
not backward in giving any one a " bit of her mind " when
occasion required. Nevertheless, Pal was a good-hearted
woman, and was admirably suited to her position. She had
a fine old oak bedstead in the parlour, elaborately carved, the
envy of many, and for the use of which an extra charge was
made to newly-married couples who spent the commencement
of the honeymoon at the Black Horse. In the days of
Chartism this inn was used by the patrols of special con-
stables during their midnight rambles in search of men
drilling. The usual meeting hour was one a.m., when warm
ale and oatcake were in readiness, and acceptably partaken
of, it being rough work patrolling the high lands during
winter time.

The family of Hawmond is of very old standing in
Horton. As early as 1379 two members of the family appear
in the poll-tax of Richard H. That they were landholders,
and as such acquired grants of land from the adjoining wastes,
is evident from the following and other documents, viz. : —

December 11, 15 10. — Oswald Leventhorp, son and heir of Robert
Leventhorp, lord of Horton, grants to Gilbert Hawmond one piece of
land 2i acres, lying on the moors of Little Horton, to wit, on the south
side by land belonging to Chris. Rawson, and on the east side of the land
of \Vm. Field, of Great Horton. To hold the same on his payment of
lod. in silver at the Feasts of St. Martin and Pentecost, in equal portions.
— Witnesses, Richd. Tempest, Esq., Thos. C^elles, John Field.

1538. — Indenture between Richd. Wilkinson, of Bradford, clothier,
and Miles Hawmond, of Little Horton, yeoman, whereby the latter
conveyed to Wilkinson thirty-three roods of arable land in the X ether-
field of Horton, and Kyrswellcliff in the township of Little Horton, in
the tenure of the said .Miles Hawmond and Thos. Byrkby.

In Sir John Maynard's valuation of the tythes of Horton in
1656, Jonas Hammond is credited with two oxgangs of land.
In 1708, by indenture, William Hawmond, of Little Horton,

154 Rambles Round Horton.

joiner, for the sum of ;^20 mortgaged to Abraliam Sharp, the
mathematician, " all that field called the Flatt, containing
2-^ days' work, then in the occupation of Jonathan Rhodes,
and adjoining to lands late the inheritance of Mr. Thos.
Sharp on the south and east, upon laixl belonging to Mr.
Samuel Lister on the north, and on the lane leading from
Bradford to Halifax on the west, paying yearly to Wm.
Hawmond the rental of one red rose in the tyme of roses (if
the same be demanded), and no more or other rent." From
the description given above, the Flatt close adjoined the
old Black Horse Inn, which was probably an hostelry at
that time. The Hammonds of Bradford are of this family,
among the present representatives being Mr. Benj. Hammond,
whose generous gifts to his relatives recently found expression
in a substantial form ; also his nephew, Mr. Ezra Waugh
Hammond, of Horton Hall.

In the rate-books of 1839 certain fields at Brownroyd
are called by the following Wibsey-Iike names: — Back o't
House, Top o't Hill, and Maiden Brigg Slack. Brownroyd
Fold has been long the abode of the family of Greenwood,
Paul Greenwood residing there in 1800, and he succeeded his
father. The property, however, belonged to Mr. Joseph
Stocks, who disposed of it to the Low Moor Company. The
Greenwoods were farmers, scavengers, and horsekeepers,
leading much coal for the above company, The family had
also farms at Miryshay and Calverley^ Paul was a Moravian,
and generally entertained the preachers who came from
Fulneck to officiate at Chapel Fold, at Brownroyd Hill, and
at Paternoster Lane, Great Horton. His well-known figure
was regularly present at both places, and after becoming
stricken with blindness he was frequently led to his favourite
places of worship. Paul's son John succeeded him at
Brov/nroyd Fold, and the family is still resident there.

The neighbourhood of Chapel Green and Thornton Lane
would doubtless furnish material for continuing this paper if
well explored. We have, however, alrcad\- alluded to the
interesting subject of the first Presbyterian meeting-house
situate at Chapel Green. A very old homestead in Thornton
Lane called Thorns has recently been pulled down. The

Rambles Round Norton. 155

property belouged to Hutton's trustees, and formed part of
Lady Hewley's Charity land, the proceeds of which were
distributed among several Dissenting congregations in the
neighbourhood, among them being those at Kipping and
Eccleshill. Mrs. Clark, a daughter of one of the Thorntons,
resided at Thorns Farm for some time.

Chapel House, still standing, bears an initial stone
denoting it to have also been a residence of the Thorntons,
a favourite Christian name of this family being Jeremiah.
The will of Jeremiah Thornton, of Little Horton, was proved
in April, 1749, his son being Wm. Thornton, who purchased
in 1755 a close of land called Thornton Lig of Wm. Dixon, of
Bowling. His son, Jeremiah Thornton, was- a man of
substance in the latter part of the last century, and was a
stuffmaker. He died in 1780, leaving three sons, Jeremiah,
John, and Joseph, all stuffmakers. He left property in
Horton, Bowling, and Bradford, comprising a messuage in
Horton, occupied by William Stonehouse and Marmaduke
Pighills, and four closes of land, called the Ing, the Horse
Close, the Far Close, and the Moore Close ; also messuages
in Bowling, with closes called the Castle Hill and Thornton
Ing, and coal mines. John Bakes and William Shaw were
old tenants of Chapel House, which is generally associated
with the site of the old Presbyterian Meeting-house. Several
old cottages, called Lincey Fields, situate in Thornton Lane,
were pulled down some years ago.

156 Rambles Round Horton.

chaptl:r XIV.

Southfield Lane — The Open Field System of Land Tenure— Haycliffe Hill — The Old
Bradford Waterworks— Beldon Hill — Horton Bank Toj) — Hollingwood Lane —
Horton Bank Bottom.

The neighbourhood of Southfield Lane and Haychfife
Hill is not without its interest. Although but sparsely
populated, compared with some portions of the township, it
has been the abode of Horton families of long standing,
albeit they may have been little known outside their several
circles. For the most part they belonged to the small
yeoman class, farming bits of poor land and eking out a
subsistence by the aid of the spinning wheel or shuttle. The
remaining population comprised colliers employed in the pits
of the neighbourhood, who resided in one-storeyed cottages
of the humblest exterior appearance, but which gave an
amount of shelter and warmth in that high-lying region that
was sought for in vain in two-storeyed or " chaymer-height "
houses.

Southfield Lane, otherwise called Saughfield or South-
gate, has evidently derived its name from the custom
prevailing in ancient times, when land was held and tilled in
common, namely, the " open-field system," illustrated in a
recent paper read by Mr. Lister, of Shibden Hall, before the
members of the Bradford Historical Society. Of the existence
of this primitive mode of tenure Mr. Lister found conclusive
evidence in the neighbouring township of Wibsey. Under
this system the cultivated land was situate in various parts
of a township, known as the North-field, the South-field,
&c., and was divided into narrow strips or " lands," of an
acre, half-acre, or rood in extent, parted from each other by
green balks of unploughed turf When instead of being
arable they were strips of meadow, they bore the name of
" doles." A fieldway or " gate " admitted to the common
field, and in those portions which were in pasture there was
also the right to " gates " for feeding oxen. Corners of fields
not shapely enough to be divided were called " butts."

Rambles Round H or ton. 157

In old deeds frequent mention is made of tlie South-field
of Horton. Thus, by indenture bearing date March, 1619,
Thomas Cook, of Bradford, yeoman, sells to Wm. Booth, sen.,
clothier, of Horton, and Wm. Booth, jun., his son and heir,
" all those three closes called the South-field, in Horton, now
in the tenure of Elizabeth Gledhill." In like manner we read
of Two Lands, Nine Lands, the Southern Half-acres, Broad-
dole, Cross-butts, &c., several of which have reference to land
in Horton " on the north and east side of a hill called
Haycliffe." Probably a knowledge of the names of closes of
land in the neighbourhood of Haycliffe or Southfield Lane
would suppl}' additional testimony of the existence of the
open-field system in Horton as well as in Wibsey.

At Close Top Farm, Southfield Lane, John Smith,
grandfather of the present occupier, employed many hand
woolcombers, and made tops for the trade around Great
Horton. Cragg Farm belonged in 1800 to Mr. Gorton, having
been previously a portion of the Brooksbank estate, and was
occupied by Samuel White, who not only followed the
occupation of farming, but was the shoemaker for the
district. The land upon which New Harrogate is built
formerly belonged to this farm. Benjamin Knight, the cotton
spinner, bought the property of Mr. Gorton, and on his
bankruptcy the late Mr. George Hadfield, once a candidate
for the Parliamentary representation of Bradford, took pos-
session of Cragg Farm, it was said, for the legal expenses
incurred by Knight. A portion of the land has turned out
valuable, the Bradford Brick and Tile Company having
opened it out for brickworks.

Ha}-cliffe Lane has been for generations the residence
of a branch of the Swaine family previousl}- alluded to, who
were owners of small portions of land adjoining their tene-
ments. In the survey of 1839 occur the names of William
Swaine, Joseph Swaine, and John Swaine ; also of Kalema
Gledhill, Samuel Wilson, Samuel Haigh, F. S. l^ridges,
and Hird, Dawson & Hardy. Messrs. Jos. Stocks, John
Tommis, John Booth, and Joseph Nichols were previous
owners of land at Haycliffe. Some of the houses on
Iia)'cliffe Hill were rebuilt about the jear 1839. The little

158 Rambles Round Horton.

Wesleyan Reform Chapel in Haycliffe Lane only dates from
the year 1875.

It may not be generally known to the present generation
of Bradfordians that the first waterworks company of Bradford
obtained its supply from Haycliffe Hill. The old watercourse
indeed is still running, and supplies several properties yet.
The company's water was obtained from a " sough," or coal
drain, in the hill, and was conveyed in a goit to the field
behind the " Old House at Home," where there was a trough,
and from thence the water was conveyed in lead pipes to
a small reservoir situate near " Judy Barrett's " shop in
Westgate.

From a plan of the works drawn for the proprietors in
1753 by John Smith, of Manningham, we gather that the
fountain-head of the supply was situate in Squire Leedes's
land at Haycliffe ; that the water passed through Joseph
Stocks's land, occupied by John Nicholls ; was brought down
through Robert Stansfield's land at the corner of South-
field (or Saughfield) Lane End, through lands owned by
Samuel Lister extending from Southfield Lane to Todwell
Farm, where the company's water again entered Stansfield's
land at Horton Green. Continuing past Richard Gilpin
Sawrey's grounds at Horton Hall, the pipes were taken
in a line with an old occupation road which skirted the
side of what was formerly known as Hailstone's Park, crossed
the bottom of Melbourne Place, and emerged in Horton Road
near the site of the present Vicarage. From that point the
water-pipes dipped towards the valley, crossed the beck and
goit, and thence were carried forward to John Street,
Westgate, where the reservoir was placed.

The supply, however, was only scanty, and much con-
tention arose, not only along the line of route, in consequence
of the attempts made to divert or impound the water in a dry
time, but also at the Westgate terminus. At this point there
was a tap for supplying those in the neighbourhood, and
frequent " rows " occurred in determining the question —
" Whose turn next } "

In 1790 the proprietors, consisting of Richard Sclater,
James Smith, John Hardy, Sarah Ward, and John Crosley,

Rambles Round Horton. 159

became incorporated by Act of Parliament, but not without
much opposition from an influential section of the community,
whose interests were said to be jeopardised by what were
called the " unreasonable and oppressive " clauses of the Act.
The orig-inal undertakers of the works being in 1790 all dead,
their shares were transferred to other parties. The two shares
of Squire Leedes were, under his bankruptcy, sold by his
assignees to Mr. John Hardy for ;^39 per share, and that
gentleman was the principal promoter of the application to
Parliament. There were only ten shares in the undertaking,
three being held by Richard Sclater, and three by James
Smith. Sarah Ward had one, John Crosley one, and John
Hardy two. The application was opposed on the part of the
inhabitants by Benjamin Ferrand, Samuel Lister, Isaac
Hollings, George Barber, Dawson Humble, Francis Bridges,
and Richard Hodsden ; but the Act was passed. The subse-
quent history of the Bradford Waterworks has no immediate
connection with the history of Horton.

A large quantity of coal was obtained between the years
1830 and 1 841 from the hillsides extending from Haycliffe
along Beldon Hill to Cliffe Valley, much of it having been
carted for the supply of the mills and dyehouses around
Horton and in the neighbourhood of Thornton Road. The
coal on Pickles Hill, Crag Hill, Crag Valley, and on the upper
side of Cliffe Mill was better-bed coal, and was worked by
Squire Tordoff and George Mortimer, who also got the coal
in a very large field, called Moor Field, betwixt Pickles Lane
and Crag Valley, and most of the coal on the Haycliffe side
of Beldon Hill. The coal around Haycliffe Hill was worked
by Joseph Knight, and was that known as " black bed," the
ironstone having been got out by the Bowling Ironworks
Company many years before.

Joshua Slingsby, Robert Britcliffe, Abraham Brewer,
Abraham Bolton, Charles North, and Messrs, Ramsden and
Co. have also got coal under several fields in the same
neighbourhood. " Better bed " coal sold in 1840 at 7s. per
ton. After the coal which would pay for getting had been
removed, the pit hills were levelled by test labour during the
depressed times of 1847-8.

160 Rambles Round Horton.

A portion of the land about Beldon Hill at one time
belonged to the Booth family, previously alluded to as
large landowners in Horton. There was also a William
Beldon, who owned and farmed his own land, but it would
appear that the hill derived its name from Benny Beldon, his
predecessor, who also owned and farmed a few closes. The
old name for Beldon Hill was Upper Haycliffe, and Haycliffe
Hill was called Lower Haycliffe.

An old farmhouse on Beldon Hill, divided into two
tenements, and now the property of Mr. Wm. Ramsden, is
worth inspection as affording a sample of the squat,
substantial erections intended to withstand the elements
in exposed positions. One portion is occupied by Mina
Wilkinson, and another by old Benny Priestley. In " old
Benny's" comfortable domicile will be found a singular
combination of old-time and modern luxuries — to wit, a fine
carved oak bedstead, fully three centuries old, and a splendid
trichord pianoforte of most approved construction, upon
which the best of classical and sacred music is played to a
select but appreciative audience on certain days. The little
garden plot in front also contains one of the best collections
of pansies to be found in the neighbourhood, the great
altitude notwithstanding.

The Priestleys have lived a very long time upon Beldon
Hill and Pickles Hill, there being several families of this
name. The Tordoffs, Wilkinsons, and Shepherds have also
resided upon these hills for generations. It may be noted,
too, that the denizens of these high-lying parts of Horton are
very clannish — a peculiarity which may be found more or
le.ss in Hortonians generally.

The public gardens on Beldon Hill have been a favourite
resort for over forty years. They were first laid out by
Richard Townend — musical instrument maker, whose shop
formerly adjoined the Old Foundry in Tyrrel Street — and
were kept by him for nearly ten years, but have been occupied
by the present tenant for thirty years. They are generally
known over the country side as " Tom Hardy Gardens."
The views from the gardens are very fine and the air is
especially bracing.

Ranib/es Round Hart on. i6l

There is a higher altitude than Bcldon J I ill, however, in
Horton, namely, Reevy Beacon Mill, which is 975ft. above sea
level. Being in the line of connection with Beacon Hill at
Halifax and Beamsley Beacon, near Addingham, there is
little doubt that it derived its name from the uses to which
this elevated spot was put in the disturbed times of the
Scottish invaders, intimation of whose approach was made b}-
means of beacon fires lit upon the most suitable elevations
that could be found.

Holdsworth is a verj- old name in connection with these
parts. From the subsid}- roll, dated Ma}', 1608, it appears
that Georgius Holdsworth was taxed for lands held b\- him
in Horton, of the annual value of 20s., for which he paid
2s. 8d. We have before us a receipt, dated June, 1687, given
by Alice Holdsworth, daughter of Richard Holdsworth,
deceased, of Shelf, to Matthew Holdsworth, of Reevy, and
Gilbert Brooksbank, yeoman, of Horton (doubtless executors
under the will of her father) for her " childe-portion " and the
legacies bequeathed her by her father. It was a Jeremiah
Holdsworth, who occupied Miss Thornton's land in the
immediate localit}-, that ga\'e the name to "Jer Lane."

In Beacon Lane once stood a number of low cottages
called Miry Pond, from the nature of the ground. Hence
came the name of Mir\' Pond Mill, now owned b\' Messrs.
Thomas Priestley & Co., but first erected for Mr. Thomas
Ackroyd, to whom reference has been made.

At Nettleton Fold, in Jer Lane, are two old houses, the
initials on one being I. S. L., and dated 171 1 ; on the other
R. T., 1701*. The owner of the first named was in 1800
W'illiam Oliver, and the tenant William Nettleton. The
property was bought by Mr. Fllis Cunliffe Lister, and has
passed into the possession of Mr. William Ramsden, who has
acquired much property b}- purchase in the localit}'. Miss
Thornton was the owner of the one erected in 1701, where
Joshua Smith lived, and where Francis Barraclough has
resided for over half a century. Jer Lane Old School was
erected bv subscription in the vear 1822, for the use of the
neighbourhood, and was conducted for man}- }'ears until his
death by an able mathematician and master, John Benn who

UV2 Rambles Round Hoyfon.

was entirely self-taught. Many persons who have risen to
influence in the neighbourhood were indebted to Mr. Benn for
their education. The Horton Bank Top School, erected by
the Congregationalists in 1881, has superseded the old school
for religious services, while the excellent Board School at
Horton Bank, opened in August, 1874, supplies elementary
education.

From an old survey and other documents we gather that
the Jowett family, of Horton, were considerable owners of
land and tenements in the higher parts of Horton during the
latter half of last century. About 1760 Jeremiah Jowett, by
his last will, bequeathed to his younger son, James, " all that
messuage, with outbuildings and lands, &c., belonging thereto,
in the occupation of William Topham, and all those two
cottages in the occupation of John Ellis and Samuel Mires,
paying unto Jonas Jowett, his eldest son, the sum of forty
pounds within one year after the decease of the testator."
Jeremy Jowett, the first of the family settling in Horton,
originally came from Buttershaw, in North Bierley. His sons
were Jonas o' Jeremy's, who lived at Beldon Hill ; John
Jowett, of Bank Bottom, whose grandson, Joshua, died in his
eighty-fifth year, in Stephenson Fold, in 1885, having resided
in that dwelling for seventy years. Charles Jowett, of Bank
Bottom, was also a son of old Jeremy. All the family were
handloom weavers.

At the corner of Cooper Lane there once stood several
very old houses, with large gardens attached, owned and
occupied by a family named Lister. The present buildings
were erected on the site. Miss Thornton owned the Hare
and Hounds Inn, kept in 1800 by Charles Parker, and he was
succeeded by William Tordoff, who was the landlord for
many years. Below the Hare and Hounds there were two
old farmhouses, since removed, one owned by John Holds-
worth, the other by Samuel Waterhouse, or " Watress."

Near the top of Hollingwood Lane there is a place
called "Cockpit Hill," from the circumstance of its having
been a place of resort for cockfighting. Another meeting-
place for the same purpose was at Ikacon Hill. Upon one
of the cottages at Cockpit Hill are the initials j "^ M. ^^'^^ ^^^^

Ranib/cs Round Hoy foil. im

date 178 1. It was the residence of one of the Moldsworths
ah'eady noticed. Further down Horton Bank there is a
sundial over a grocer's shop kept for a long time by William
Swaine, inscribed T. H. (for Holdsworth; and the date 1827.
The motto is — " Time flieth swiftly avv^ay." Tradition has it
that Hollingwood Lane obtained its name from the holly
hedges which once abounded in the neighbourhood. The
Horton legend of " Fair Becca," whose unfortunate history
lingers in the immediate locality, affords evidence in corro-
boration, as the story goes that " she would come ageean
while 'holly grew green.'" If holly was once so plentiful
in Hollingwood Lane it must have fallen a prey to an
impregnated atmosphere, or more likely to the whittling
knives of " knor-and-spell " players, who spared no holly
bush large enough to afford material for their " knors." The
following indentures testify to the name of Hollingwood
being of very long standing : —

1623. — Thos. HoUings by deed poll granted to John Midgley all his
interest in the close of land called Hollinwood, estimated ai four acres,
situate in Horton, adjoining upon one great close called Clayton Pasture
on the west, by lands in the occupation of Gregory Fox on the east, by
the lands of Edd. Brooksbank on the south.

Ronr. ILLINGWORTH, Attorney.

168 1. — Indenture between John Mortimer, of Hollinwood, and
Richd. Mortimer, of Boiling, his brother, wherein John conveys to his sons
John and Richard all his interest in a close of land called Hollinwood.

JOSHUA StANSFIELD, K^j^^^^^^^^_

Isaac Broadi.ev, )

Isaac Broadi.ev,

The Drop Farm belonged at the beginning of the
century to Richard Holmes, John Wilkinson being the tenant.
His family had ]i\'ed there a long time. The farm has now
dropped out of existence, the site being occupied by Horton
Bank Reservoir. The last tenant was named Birkby.

In the upper part of Horton and about Tanner Hill
and Hollingwood Lane the Fox family owned and occupied
property. In 1738 a close of land was called " Gregory Fox
Close," in the then occupation of John Ramsden. One
Gregory Fox lived at the roadside cottage in Pasture Lane,
where Tanner Beck joins Bulgreave Beck. His son was named
William Fox,

164 Rambles Round Hoyfoii.

At Tanner Hill Farm, or Hollin House, the initials
A. N. and G. N. existed, the date being 1666. The house
was rebuilt in 171 1 by some owner whose initials
were J. H. probably answering for John Haley. In 1801
Jonathan Fox was the owner, and Samuel Holmes the
occupier. The premises were afterwards occupied by Abm.
Bairstow and John Holmes. Two old houses have been
pulled down at Tanner Hill recently, the date of one of them
being 1560. It is said that a tannery existed here at one
time, and hence came the name. Paddock Dyehouse was
founded by Abm. Bairstow, of Hill End, who was a character
in Horton in his day. His son John, and son-in-law, John
Holroyd, carried on the works, and afterwards Holroyd and
Buckle, until the erection of Horton Dyeworks. Of two farms
at Hill End, one belonged to Jonas Jowett, the other to
Joseph Wardman. Joseph Cawthra and Saml. White were
once occupiers, afterwards VVm. Fox and Abm. Bairstow
became the owners.

Paradise Farm belonged to John Haley, a calico weaver,
who attained his ninetieth year. It was purchased from Mr.
Joshua Pollard and Mr. Paley, of Bowling Ironworks. David
Mortimer, a respected townsman and octogenarian, has since
acquired the property, and still resides upon it. Solitary, the
name of an adjoining farmstead, formed part of the Ashton
dole land, Daniel Dracup being for a long time the occupier.

What is known as Horton Bank, or the New Road,
from Bank Bottom to Bank Top, was formed about the )'ear
1807. The old road still exists, although in a much inproved
condition to that in which it was when a portion of the
highway and coachroad from Bradford to Halifax. In the
olden times, when the Highflyer and Defiance coaches were
pulled up the steep ascent by four and sometimes by six
horses, it was in a shocking state. The road was very
narrow, not permitting of more than one vehicle going along
at a time. It was indented by deep ruts, and horses have
been known to fall dead with the exertion required to pull up
the coaches. It was not so bad for pack-horses, accustomed
to highways which in these days of highway authorities would
not be tolerated.

Rajiiblcs Roiuid Hovtou. i6o

About half way up the Old Road there stood an old
hostelry, called the Three Blue Bells, said to have been
the oldest inn within many miles. The building consisted of
two wings and a central portion, and doubtless afforded all
the accommodation required for man and beast. The last
landlord who kept it as an inn was Robert Fox. The licence
was afterwards removed to the house belonging to the
Blamires family, a little higher up the road ; subsequently to
the lane end, where it was known as the Dog and Gun, and
was kept by David Armitage, a noted sportsman. It
afterwards became the Crown Inn. The premises known as
the old hostelry in Old Road still stand, but in a very
dilapidated condition, and, with the farm land adjoining,
belong to Mr. F. S. Powell.

The old homestead at Bank Bottom appears to date
back to about the year 1600, and at one period must have
been a residence of some standing in Horton. In 1763
Joseph Pollard bequeathed the property to his son Joseph,
but he does not appear to have resided there, as he was a corn
miller, and lived at Shuttleworth Hall, Fairweather Green.
He was, however, an extensive property owner in Horton. In
1 78 1 Joseph Pollard sold it to Joshua Crabtree, of Shiple\-,
Samuel Swaine being at that time the occupier.

In 1787 Dr. Joshua Walker appears to have acquired the
property. Dr. Walker was for twenty-five years physician to
the Leeds Infirmary, but was a native of Bradford, residing in
Wakefield Road. By his will, dated 181 3, he bequeathed the
property to lidward Jowett, of P21tofts, Leeds, James Swaine
being at that period the tenant. James Swaine belonged to
the old Horton family of the name, and lived to a very great
age. It is said that while in his ninety-sixth year he followed
the plough. He died about 1820 in his ninety -seventh year.
His sons were — James, of Ha\'cliffe Hill ; (iilbert, landlord of
the George and Dragon Inn ; and John, who had a son.
William Swaine, a grocer in Xew Road. Another brother of
old James was named Samuel.

In 1837 the Bank Bottom farm became vested in Alary
Leatham, daughter of Dr. Walker, and Edward Jowett, of
Leeds. After James Swaine the farm was occupied b)' Isaac

166 Rambles Round Horton.

Waddington, John Gaunt, and William Watson, the property-
having been acquired by William Murgatroyd, of the Heights.
From the latter it was purchased by' the present owner, Mr.
John Ramsdcn.

Pickles Hill derived its name from a man named Pickles,
a horse jobber, who lived at a farmhouse since pulled down,
but which stood on the site of the new farmstead built by
Messrs. Ramsden.

Rambles Round Hovtou. 167

C H A r T i<: R X V.

Horton Magna- -The Blainhcs Family— John Wade— Hew Clews— " Fair Becca" —
The Horton " Guytrash "—Bracken Hall — The Ramsden Family — Horlon Old
Corn Mill— The Beanlands— Hodgson Old Hall.

A glance at an old plan of Horton Magna, as Great
Horton was styled in olden times, would show that very few
houses existed there at the beginning of the present century.
Beyond a few dwellings built anyhow on Upper and Lower
Green, at Old Todley (the site of Broadbent's Mill), at Salt
Pie and Town End, and detached tenements, generally
fringing the sides of the high road from Bradford to Halifax,
there were few buildings. Several lanes and "folds" branched
from the main road, but not a single street, except that formed
by the "row" of houses, latterly known as "Knight's Fold,"
then belonging to Mary Brooksbank. From the end of
Southfield Lane, and continuing for some distance, there was
a large space of common land called " Great Horton Green,"
including what is now known as Low Fold, which was
approached on the north side by Paternoster Lane, probably
one of the most ancient thoroughfares in Horton. An
almost equally large open space was known as the Upper
Green. How it has come about that the open spaces of
common land in question have become covered with dwellings
is a problem we cannot solve.

Standing near the highway, and at a short distance from
Cliffe Mills, is one of the best examples of the farming class
of homestead in Horton, that known as Blamires' P'arm,
or " Luke's." It was the homestead of one of the most
numerous and respectable families of Horton, although
latterly the property has passed into the hands of Mr.
William Ramsden. The earliest reference we find to the
Blamires family is in the township rolls of North Bierley,
where they were numerously represented as early as 1660.
A hundred years later, while still retaining property in North
Bierley, the family would appear to have become settled in
Horton, as is proved by the will of Joseph Blaymires, of

168 Rambles Round Hoyion.

Horton, dated 1760, who devised to his grandson, Joseph
Blaymires, " all that messuage, with several closes of land in
VVibse)-, in the occupation of Jeremy Blaymires, his son, and
two other messuages in Wibsey inhabited by Samuel Wood
and Rachel Blaymires," with annuities to his son Jeremy and
his daughters Martha, wife of Samuel Kellitt, Mary, wife of
John Stocks, Ann, wife of John Wilkinson, and Grace, wife
of John Thornton. By agreement dated Februar}', 1759, the
above Joseph Blaymires leased to Samuel Kellitt, of Wibsey,
a dwelling-house, situate in Wibsey, and four closes of land
for the term of three years, at a yearly rental of £6 los.

Our next evidence is that of the will of Luke Blamires,
butcher, of Horton, dated 1789, wherein he bequeathed to his
sons, Joseph, Samuel, and William, the messuages, lands, &c.,
in his possession in Horton, conditional on their paying to
Martha Driver, his daughter, the sum of ;i^io per year during
her lifetime, and the sum of £200 to her children. Luke
Blamires died in 1794, aged eighty-one.

His sons, however, appear to have become owners of
property by their own industry, as by deed of conveyance
dated 1780, Joseph Pollard, of Fairweather Green, re-leased
to William Blamires, of Horton, four messuages in Horton,
formerly occupied by Jonas Blamires, John Smith, John
Smithies, and Wm. Crosley, and at the date of transfer by John
Blamires, Wm. Mires, John Crosley, and Isaac Wilkinson, also
one close of land called The Croft, for the sum of ^250. In
October, 1791, also, John Loxley, clothdresser, of Wakefield,
conveyed Gledhill Croft to Joseph Blamires, butcher, of Great
Horton.

Samuel, .second son of old Luke Blamires. kept the
King's Arms Inn, in Great Horton, besides being a butcher,
and died in 1818. His sons were Samuel and John. John
was a butcher and cattle dealer, and at one time kept the
Granby Inn at Queenshead (now Oueensbury;, afterwards
removing to the Packhorse Inn at Bradford. Samuel lived
in Cross Lane, Horton. It was his daughter, Sally Blamires,
who many years ago gallantly repulsed a gang of burglars
wIkj attempted to break into the house in Cross Lane.
Mr. William Cuuscn married another daughter of Samuel

Raiiibles Round Hoy ton. loy

Blamires, named Phcebe, and by the marriage obtained
much property.

William Blamires, youngest son of old Luke, seems to
have been the most substantial member of the family. Like
his father and brotliers, William was also a butcher, and at
one time had his shop in Kirkgatc, Bradford. He also
possessed the family peculiarity, that of being somewhat
" close-fisted " and intent on gain, and the story is told of
him that, when hard driven by a bargaining customer over a
joint of beef, he would point a skewer in the direction of the
old Piece Hall, remarking at the time, " I don't get tJiat at
it ! " Unsuspecting purchasers naturally supposed that by
his action William meant the skewer, while in reality he had
in mind the Piece Hall building !

By dint of much hard work, however, William Blamires
acquired considerable land in the upper portion of Horton,
his residence being the old homestead referred to, owned by
his father Luke, and his grandfather. He died in 1829, aged
eighty years. By his will, dated 1827, he bequeathed the old
homestead and six closes of land to his eldest son John. To
Luke, his second son, a messuage in Old Road, with several
fields adjoining. To his son Timothy (who had the reputation
of being the strongest man in Horton), five cottages at Hew
Clews and two closes of land. To his daughter Lydia, wife
of Thomas Myers, he bequeathed Low Fold Croft and four
cottages ; and to Elizabeth, an unmarried daughter, two closes
of land. Through its descendants the Blamires family is still
well represented in Horton.

His^h Street is also associated \\ith the familv of Wade,
of whom one member is deserving of honourable mention in
these records. John W^ade was a good type of the Horton
character, plodding and industrious, firm in principle, public-
spirited, and a pattern of uprightness in all his dealings. He
was a native of Paradise Green, where he was born in 1799,
the son of humble parents. By dint of steady industry and
thrift, however, he became in 1829, when a young man, a
small employer of hand-loom labour, in the making of all-wool
plainbacks, shalloons, &c., the staple articles of the then
Bradford trade. He after\\ards emplojcd steam power, at

170 Rambles Round Horton.

Dracup's Mill, Cliffe Lane, but ultimately got into the wool
trade, which he continued until his death. For nearly fifty
years he was one of the most regular attenders at Bradford
market, and few men could better trace the development
of the worsted trade from its infancy to maturity. Not-
withstanding his attention to business, he was one of the most
active men in the affairs of Horton, having a particular
aptitude for public business. He served as churchwarden for
many years at Bell Chapel, and also filled the position of
poor-law guardian, and town councillor. The contest in
Nov., 1850, in which Mr. Wade was opposed by Mr. Samuel
Dracup, is still remembered as one of unusual keenness. He
also dispensed the Ashton Dole for a period of ten years.
Although warmly attached to the Episcopal form of worship,
Mr. Wade was a thorough Liberal, and never flinched from
upholding his views. His death occurred on January 6, 1876,
in the seventy-seventh year of his age.

Hew Clews, in Cliffe Lane, is a name recalling several
points of interest to Hortonians. As to the correctness of
the spelling we have only conjecture to guide us. It may be
either Hew, Ewe, Yew, or Heugh with equal correctness,
although the form given above is generally adopted. " Clew,"
from the Saxon Cleow, is usually understood to be either a
ball of twine, a guide, or a direction. At any rate, the little
colony of Hew Clews is a distinctive part of Horton, and
probably among the oldest settlers upon it was the family of
Myers, formerly spelt Mires. A female of this name, whose
daughter married John Shepherd, attained her 102nd year,
having been born at Hew Clews. William Blamires had
acquired this property as early as the beginning of the present
century. John Hanson and his family farmed Hew Clews
I"'arm for above a hundred years, the property belonging to
Richard Hodgson, of Whetley.

Stories are told of the natives of Hew Clews and Ben
Hill, of a character not in accordance with accepted notions
(jf civilisation. It is said, for instance, that for about half a
dozen cottages which stood on Ben Hill there was only one
oven, which was used in common, and that a solitary spoon
served alike the six families. Another .storv is told of

Rinnbles Roiutd Horton. 171

vSammy Rouse, who, having slept all clay, aroused his spouse
with the exclamation, " Sharah, t'world's coining tuv an end,
for t'sun's risen t'wreng side o' t'hahse ! "

The most popular legend in connection with Hew Clews,
however, is associated with the story of " Fair Becca," who
came to an untimely end at the hands of her sweetheart.
This heartless swain lived at Hanson Farm, " Fair Becca "
residing in one of the old cottages which until recently stood
opposite the entrance to Cliffe Mill. As the legend goes, the
sweetheart appeared one morning before Rebecca's cottage
mounted as for a journey. Dismounting, he told her to array
herself in bridal apparel, as he intended taking her to the
kirk to be married. Rebecca delightedly obeyed, and was
soon equipped, when they rode away in the direction of
Wilsden, she mounting behind him on the double saddle ('the
fashion of the period^. He then put his plan into execution.
Near a lonely lane they had to traverse at Old Allen were
some old disused pits, and, riding to one of the most remote,
ho told his companion to prepare for death, as he was going
to throw her down. Rebecca pleaded for mercy, but he,
disregarding her entreaties, galloped round the pit, and
tried to throw her off the horse ; Rebecca clinging to him
desperately, he had to ride round three times ere he could
effect his purpose, his victim shrieking at every attempt.
The third time he succeeded in flinging her into the pit.
When the deed was accomplished the murderer seems to
have suffered pangs of remorse. Before he died he made a
full confession of his crime, and the corpse of Rebecca was
found, fearfully mangled, at the bottom of the pit.

Long, long afterwards the spirit-form of " Fair Becca "
was said to wander in the neighbourhood of Hew Clews and
Hollingwood Lane, in confirmation of her dying words, that
" she would come ageean as long as holly grew green." Her
name was a great scare in Horton, as may be imagined ; but
although the legend was religiously believed to be true, " old
inhabitants " generall)- were slow to affirm that they had ever
seen her. Latterh-, her non-appearance is accounted for by
the fact that she had been " flayed awaj' ' by- the whirr of the
machincr\- at Cliffe Mills.

17-2 Rambles Round Norton.

The Horton " Guytrash " was another boggard in our
young days, and generally took the form of a " great black
dog," with horrid eyes. Horton Lane, Legrams Lane, and
Bowling Lane, now Manchester Road, seemed to be particu-
larly chosen as favourable places for its ramblings, and many
are the tales told of this " Guytrash " being seen there. The
late I'2dmund Riley, of Horton Green, used to tell the story
of a well-known and staunch Independent of the old school,
who resided at Horton, and was going home one night about
the " witching hour," when, as he was passing the gates of
Horton Hall, he was startled in his meditations by something
jumping at his heels. He looked round, and, sure enough,
there was the " great black dog." He made his way home,
as fast as he could, and when he got there either fainted or
was near doing so. The next morning he was told that Mr.
Sharp (who inhabited Horton Hall) had died just about
the time he was passing and saw the " Guytrash." In its
ramblings the " Guytrash " was said to go about with chains
rattling round it, and sometimes without ; but as it has never
been heard of since the town was incorporated, it is supposed
to have become jealous of the policemen, and so has left the
neighbourhood for ever.

Bracken Hall and Holly Bank, situate in Hollingwood
Lane and Cliffe Lane, are the modern-built residences of
Mr. Wm. Ramsden and Mr. John Ramsden, the energetic
proprietors of Cliffe Mills. The former occupies the site of
a farmhouse long tenanted by John Bennett and his family,
and alluded to in the will of the Rev. Thos. Sharp, of Horton
Hall, dated 1693, as "all my house and lands at Breckin
Hill, Great Horton," which he becjueathed to his daughter,
Elizabeth. The property belonged to the Giles famil}-.
successors of the Sharps, until purchased by Mr. William
Ramsden. Holly Bank is an entirely new residence standing
in an elevated position, and, like Bracken Hall, is surrounded
by thriving plantation.s.

The name of the Ramsden family will long be honourably
associated v»ith the commercial history of Horton from the
enterprise displayed by the present representatives, who from
a humble beginning have built up an extensive business

Rambles Round Hortcvi. 173

concern, and have become considerable propert}' owners in
Horton. The family sprang from Upper Green, where John
Ramsden, grandfather of Messrs. William and John Ramsden,
was a plodding, industrious carpenter and dealer in timber.
His sons were Thomas, Joseph, Jonathan, and James, all
of whom were engaged in similar av^ocations at Great
Horton. Since their acquisition of the Cliffe Mill property
Messrs. Ramsden have much enlarged the premises, which
are now among the most extensive in the neighbourhood.

There are grounds for assuming that so earl}' as 131 1
there was a soke corn mill at Horton, as the Lord of Horton
in those early times amerced some of his tenants for grinding
their corn at the mill at Bradford. In the Hopkinson MS.
it is recorded that Thomas Foxcroft held Horton Mill of the
lord of the manor, Thomas Foxcroft, of Kebro}-d, Sowerby,
died 7th September, 36 Henr}- YHI. (1545), seised of one
messuage and forty acres of land, meadow, and pasture, and
of one " water mill " in Great Horton, and of a fee farm or
annual rent of 46s. 4d. out of certain lands and tenements
in " Lytle Bollyng," which were held of John Lacey, of
Cromwellbotham, by knight service and rent of 6s. Richard
Foxcroft was his son and heir.

The descent of the manor from the Lacies to the later
branch of the Horton family has been previously traced.
When Sir Watts Horton died, and the manor fell to Captain
Rhyss, the manorial property was brought to the hammer in
1858, Mr. Wm. Cousen purchasing the lordship, including the
building known as the Manor House, the pinfold, the "lord's
rents," &c., and Mr. Samuel Dracup the old corn mill, farm,
and water rights connected therewith. Upon an outbuilding
of the mill there were the initials I. CM., and the date 1668.
The old mill has been partially rebuilt. The water-wheel
supplied from the adjoining dam is also comparatively
modern, although doubtless occupying its old position. There
were .several roads from Horton and Clayton down to the old
corn mill, one of which is still known in the neighbourhood
as the " Cat Steps."

Long before the manorial property left the hands of the
Hortons, Joseph Beanland was the tenant of Horton old

174 Rinnbles Round Hart on.

corn mill. He was a corn miller and colliery proprietor
at Fairweather Green, and belonged to a Heaton family.
Joseph Beanland was a man of some enterprise. In addition
to running the old mill he erected for the purposes of his
business a corn mill at Beckside, besides a worsted mill in
Cliffe Lane for his sons-in-law, Samuel Hellewell, Joseph
Wilkinson, and Edward Knight. Robert Fox was the miller
at the old mill under Beanland for many years.

Joseph Beanland had a son John, who assisted him
at the old corn mill, and when he married succeeded his
father, the old man going back to reside at Shuttleworth
Hall. The affairs of the Beanland family were unfortunatel)-
thrown into Chancery, resulting in much of their property
being sold at a sacrifice. Beckside Corn Mill, with three
closes of land, barn and about a dozen cottages, although
not Beanland's property, shared a similar fate, having been
purchased for an " old song " by Samuel Dracup, after
the mill had stood unoccupied for some time, and after
being considerably enlarged and adapted to the worsted
manufacturing business was let to Messrs. John & Robert
Turner and others. Messrs. W. & J. Pilling formerly occupied
the corn mill, in addition to Sams Mill.

At a short distance from Beckside Mill there stood
upon the brow of the neighbouring hillside two very ancient
tenements, which have only recently been taken down. One
of the houses stood at the bottom of Pleasant Street, and was
known as Hodgson Old Hall. The other was situate beneath
the Wesleyan Chapel burial-ground near to Cow- wells.
Both were of very antique construction, with high pitched
gables, massive chimneys, long, low mullioned windows,
and oaken doors and panelling. The initial stone removed
from the old house at Cow-wells has been built into the
embankment wall close by, and contains the letters T. S., and
the date 1620.

For upwards of a century this house was occupied by
a family named Smithies. The initial S., however, had
reference to the owner named Sugden, as is borne out by an
indenture dated May 3, 1697, reciting that "whereas Robert
Sugden, of Horton, by his will dated November 9, 1686,

Ra/ub/cs Round H art on.

175

176 Rambles Round Horfon.

devised to Isaac Rollings, of Rorton, and Thomas Pighills,
yeoman, all that messuage in Horton in the occupation of
Grace Smithies, in trust to be disposed of for the benefit
of his children." In discharge of this obligation the
trustees sold the messuage, &c., to Robert Swayne. The
indenture is witnessed by Robert S\va}'ne and Samuel
Swa\'ne. The inscrip- I i and the date 1654. It

tion upon Hodgson Old _ a is said that John Wesley
Hall contained the initials ! preached from the horse-

steps that formerly stood in front of the house. This building
belonged to the Swaine family, Susannah Swaine being
set down as the owner in the township survey of 1801, and
John Hodgson as the occupier. Hodgson was a bachelor,
and had for many years another bachelor named Robert
King residing with him. Both were of a careful turn, as is
evidenced by the fact that whenever old Hodgson had a load
of coals to deliver Robert King followed behind to pick up
any straj* "cobbling" that fell from the cart. The propert}-
at the period of its demolition belonged to Mr. W. H. Fox,
of Skipton.

Rambles Round H art on. 177

• CHAPTER XVI.

The Rrooksbanks of Horton— Gilbert Brooksbank— The Charnocks— Old Todlc)'—
Harris Court Mill— Cowling Ackroyd— J. ). Broadbent — "Spectacle" Wood-
Doctor Thomas — Edward Cockerham— Hunt Yard — The Legend of the Wild
Boar— Low Green— Hall Yard.

One of the most important families in Horton Magna
during the seventeenth century was that of Brooksbank.
The name meets the eye continually in the records of the
period, and the Christian name of Gilbert appears to have
been a favourite one in the family, as it was continued during
several generations. In the Subsidy Roll of 1608, Gilbert
Brooksbank was assessed upon lands in Horton of the annual
value of 20s., the same man having in 1602 been complained
of along with others for enclosing waste land in Horton.
This offence was, however, by no means uncommon at the
period. In 1675 a Gilbert Brooksbank, yeoman, of Horton,
proved the last will of Richard Brooksbank, of Oxheys,
Norwood Green, he retaining the document in his own pos-
session under a bond of £^0 to produce it to Sir Wm.
Horton, lord of the manor, when required. It was doubtless
this Gilbert who paid the hearth-tax, levied in 1666, for two
hearths or fires at his homestead in Horton. Still continuing,
we find a Gilbert Brooksbank assessed in the Horton land-tax
of 1704, and paying the largest amount of any landowner
in Horton township, the Sharps, Listers, or Mortimers not
excepted.

The existence in Great Horton of several residences of
more than ordinarily substantial appearance, all bearing the
initials of Gilbert Brooksbank, testifies to the standing which
the family bearing this name had in Horton, and, with
other circumstances to be subsequently referred to, justifies
a somewhat extended record of the family history.

The earliest of the Brooksbank houses in point of

date is the building known as the old " Four Ashes Inn,"

situate at Primrose Hill, and now the residence of Mr.

James Akeroyd. On 1 1 and on the outer porch the

the lintel of the house '^^' \ initial B, and the date 174^.

1674 . .

is the inscription | The building long used as

178 Rambles Round Horton.

a tanhouse by the beck side at Primrose Hill was also a
residence of the Brooksbanks. Other two residences are
standing in the upper part of Horton. That now tenanted
by Mr. John Denton , It is a good example of

opposite to Broadbent's -,7^0 ^ gentleman's residence

Mill, bears the inscription ! 1 of the period, and at the

date of its erection would form a prominent feature in Great
Horton. It has latterly become the property of Mr. F. S.
Powell, Mr. Denton being his agent. Closely adjoining is
the King's Arms Inn, which bears the above initials and
the date 1739.

The inference drawn from these facts will probabl}-
be that this substantial family, including a succession of
Gilbert Brooksbanks, originally lived at Primrose Hill, and
subsequently erected the two houses at Great Horton, the
more pretentious building becoming the family residence.
This inference is borne out by the will of Gilbert Brooks-
bank, of Great Horton, gent, proved in 1763, wherein he
devised to his niece Rebecca, wife of Jonas Atkinson, clerk,
late of Tong, the mansion at Great Horton, wherein he
resided, and two tenements occupied by Timothy Stocks
and John White ; also four other dwelling-houses occu-
pied by Joseph Sutcliffe, Jeremiah Robinson, Samuel
Holdsworth, and Joseph Wilkinson. The will was attested
by Gilbert Brooksbank, jun., and John Hill, a Ikadford
physician.

The subsequent disposition of the family mansion is
shown in an indenture bearing date 1779, and reciting that
whereas a marriage was proposed between Richard Gorton,
of Salford, merchant, and Elizabeth, daughter of Rebecca
Atkinson, " all that capital mansion at Great Horton, then
in the occupation of Joseph Swaine, also three fields called
the West Croft, the Moorfields, and the Stunsteads ; also the
messuage lately occupied by Timothy Stocks, and the three
closes called Stoney Lands, Upper Stunstead, and Crooked
Royd ; also the large Cragg where the Quarry is, the Ing or
Coal Pit Close," were released to John Hill and Samuel
Lister in trust for the use of the young children of Richard
Gorton and his wife Elizabeth.

Rambles Round Norton.

179

ISO Rambles Round Norton.

Residents of Great Horton will have no difificulty in
identifying the closes named. The more complete description
of the Brooksbank property comprised fourteen messuages,
eight barns, eight stables, eight orchards, and lOO acres of
land in Great Horton and Stanbury. Stephen Parkinson
purchased Stoney Lands, and upon the site erected some of
the houses at Summerseat Place.

Richard Gorton died intestate in 1816, leaving a son
John and six other children ; and in July, 1821, by indenture
bearing that date, his trustees sold to Benjamin Knight,
cotton manufacturer. Great Horton, " all that mansion
recently occupied by Joseph Swaine, also the West Croft,
Stunsteads, &c.," for the sum of ;!{^2 5oo, ;^2000 of which was
borrowed on mortgage from Edward Ferrand, of St. Ives,
John Gorton, and John Lambert, the two latter being trustees
of the Gorton estate.

The ultimate proprietorship of the family residence of
the Brooksbanks is bound up with the broken fortunes of
Benjamin Knight and his brother John, who were made
bankrupt in the year 1826, when the mansion and other
hereditaments were seised by the Commissioners in Bank-
ruptcy, and became the property, subject to the above
mortgage, of Messrs. Cbas. Harris and the partners of the
Old Bank, who were the largest creditors upon the bankrupt
estate. It would appear that the King's Arms property was
sold in 1827 to Mrs. Trout, of Bradford, and ultimately came
by will to the Rudd family, who sold it in 1878 to the
Bradford Corporation for the purposes' of street improvement
for the sum of ;^5ooo.

The above recital, interesting and conclusive though
it be, deals only with a portion of the property formerly
belonging to the Brooksbanks. The family, as may have
been gathered, was numerous, and, although for some reason
the family mansion in the higher part of Horton passed from
the male heirs as early as 1763, other possessions remained in
the hands of the Brooksbanks. The family were also con-
nected with the Barracloughs of Horton, and by marriage
the latter were allied to the Charnocks, who have acquired
much of the property formerly held by the Brooksbanks.

Rambles Round Hortoii. 181

This wc gather from an indenture dated June, 1797, reciting
that a marriage was intended between Mary Barraclough,
spinster, of Manningliam, and James Charnock, incumbent
of Haworth, and that the former " stood seised of the
reversion expectant on tlie decease of Mary Brooksbank,
the elder, widow, late wife of John Brooksbank, of Horton,
gent., deceased, and Mary Brooksbank, the younger, widow
of Joseph Brooksbank, late of Horton, gent., deceased," of
certain messuages and lands described as " all that tenement
situate at Horton Lane Side, with barn, &c.," and also " all
those several closes of land belonging thereto, known as the
Sherebrig Beck Close, the Lower Hall Brooks, the Tempest
Field, Stonylands, &c., late in the tenure of John Brooksbank
and Jonas Tommis, and also all the other hereditaments in
Horton and elsewhere." The trustees under the marriage
settlement were Thomas Hodgson, of Scholemoor, stuffmaker,
and Wm. Smith, Bradford, grocer.

Mary Charnock died in July, 1S09, leaving at her decease
three children, namely, Thomas B. Charnock, Mary Hodgson
Charnock, and Martha Hanson Charnock, to whom she
bequeathed her property in three equal parts. Her husband,
the Rev. Jas. Charnock, died in May, 18 19. Mary Hodgson
Charnock died in December, 1845, leaving her property in
equal portions to her brother, T. B. Charnock, and her sister,
Martha Hanson Charnock, who married in 1835 Mr. Thomas
Horsfall, and went to reside at the Paper Hall, Barkerend,
afterwards removing to Burley Hall. Thomas Brooksbank
Charnock died in October, 1847, intestate, leaving a son,
James Hanson Charnock. The Charnocks resided at the
Mansion House, in Southfield Lane, after leaving Haworth.
Thomas (locally known as Tommy) Barraclough, the father
of Mrs. Charnock, married Mary, the only daughter of
old Gilbert Brooksbank, of Tanhouse, and tlius became
the connecting link between the Brooksbanks and the
Charnocks, who now hold their property. Unfortunately,
the later members of the Brooksbank family were very
improvident, the last of them, who died very poor, having,
it is said, " swallowed five farms " during the course of an
intemperate life.

182 Rambles Round Horton.

The little colony of houses once known as Old Todley
exists now only in name. The site of it is partly occupied
by Messrs. J. J. Broadbent & Co.'s mill and the late Mr.
Broadbent's residence, called Great Horton House. When
Brooksbank House opposite was in its heyday it looked
upon a few low cottages, a blacksmith's shop, and a little
school-house, with burial ground attached, also a plot of
vacant land. From the proximity of these buildings of high
and low degree it is evident that Old Todley or Smithy Hill
might be regarded as the centre of the village of Great
Horton, a distinction which the site still retains.

From deeds in the possession of the Broadbent family
it appears that the old school was built by the Wesleyans
of Horton in the year 1766, the ground having been
purchased for that purpose by Jonas Jowett and James
Brayshaw. It remained as a day and Sunday school and
preaching-room until the erection of Hunt Yard Wesleyan
Chapel in the year 18 14. The old school property and the
land adjoining were sold in 181 5 on behalf of the Wesleyan
body to Messrs. John Knight & Co. by the following trustees,
namely, Samuel White, James Helliwell, Thomas Stocks,
Roger Milnes, Robert Turner, Eli Suddards, John Ramsden,
and John Hall. Many interments having been made on the
Todley site, the remains were removed to the burial ground
adjoining the new chapel. The old school-room was after-
wards used as a shuttle-making shop by Nathaniel Dracup, a
noted bass singer. The smith's shop appears to have been in
the occupancy of a man named John Abbott. Three of the
cottages adjoining were occupied by James Aveyard, James
Binns, and John Tommis, and on the side nearest to the Four
Ashes was one cottage occupied by the Blagbrough family.

Reference has already been made to the earlier history
of Messrs. Broadbent's Mill, erected in the early part of the
century for the cotton manufacture by Messrs. J. & B. Knight,
afterwards occupied by Mr. Cowling Ackroyd in the worsted
business, and for about a quarter of the century by Mr. J. J.
Broadbent. During the interval it has been respectively
known as Knight's (or " Kneet ") Mill, Cowling Mill, and
Harris Court Mill, consequent on the property having come

Rambles Round Horton. ina

into the possession of Messrs. Harris, the bankers, on the
bankruptcy of Messrs. Knight, The good house adjoining
called Great Horton House, was originally erected by John
Knight for his own residence, and was enlarged and much
improved by Mr. J. J. Broadbent.

This gentleman was for many years connected with the
staple trade of Bradford, and after his acquisition of the
Harris Court Mill property was largely contributory to the
welfare of the people of Great Horton, materially and socially.
He was the son of Mr. John Broadbent, of the Canal Road
Vitriol Works, Bradford. Prior to the removal of his business
to Harris Court Mill Mr. J. J. Broadbent was at Atlas Works,
Thornton Road, but as his business proved more and more
successful he bought the Harris Court Mill property from
Messrs. Harris, the bankers. He very much enlarged the
mill premises, which at the present time form an extensive
pile. Mr. Broadbent was a thoroughly practical business
man, and was held in high esteem in commercial circles. He
was of a retiring disposition, and took very little part in the
political or municipal affairs of the town. For many years
he attended St. John's Church, Great Horton, the building of
which had been greatly helped forward by him, and he held
the office of warden there for some time. In Great Horton
he was highly esteemed both as an employer of labour and
as a leading resident. Mr. Broadbent's death occurred in
October, 1885, aged sixty-seven years.

The previous occupier of Great Horton House, Mr.
Cowling Ackroyd, was a gentleman whose name was long
associated with the trade of Bradford, while as a resident of
Horton he occupied a very prominent position. He was one
of the sons of old h>ank Ackroyd, and commenced in the
worsted business with his brother Thomas, at Mir}'pond Mill,
prior to the latter's removal to Birkenshaw. Cowling Ackroj-d
then succeeded Messrs. Knight at Harris Court Mill, and for
years was tlie leading man of the worsted trade of Great
Horton, while at the same time an active townsman, and the
leader in almost any movement, socially and politically. For
a long period he enjoyed the title of the " King of Horton."
He was an ardent Tory, and was the proposer of Mr. John

184 Rambles Round Norton.

Hardy when that gentleman first contested Bradford in 1832,
and again on the occasion when the present Lord Cranbrook
(then Mr. Gathorne - Hardy) sought the suffrages of the
Bradford electors in 1847. Mr. Ackroyd was at one time the
parish constable for Horton, and was unsuccessful in a contest
with Mr. Richard Denton for the office of councillor for the
Great Horton Ward in 1848. He was, however, returned for
the Bowling Ward in 1849. He was also a trustee of the Old
Piece Hall, and a commissioner of taxes. In more recent
times Mr. Ackroyd held an appointment on the Great
Northern Railway. His death occurred in May, 1872, in
the seventy-second year of his age.

Several old Horton families were located in the immediate
neighbourhood of " Cowling Mill." John Clough kept a
grocer's shop next to the mill, and nobody was better known
and respected. His son W^illiam removed to Westgate, Brad-
ford, and was a maltster there. Adjoining Clough's house
was the residence of John Wood, familiarly known as
" Spectacle Wood," to whom Great Horton was indebted for
postal facilities, of which the village stood in great need half
a century ago.

Mr. Wood was a native of Allerton, but migrated to
Manningham as a schoolmaster, and in 1838 removed to
Great Horton. One of his first engagements was to assist in
the preparations made for celebrating the coronation of Her
Majesty Queen Victoria, which event took place on the 28th
day of June, and was observed in Great Horton as a day of
general rejoicing. At that time postal affairs were managed
with great laxity. All the letters were forwarded from
Bradford twice a-week, the messenger being a man over
seventy years of age, who could neither read or write, and who
frequently remained drinking on the road until late in the
day, deferring the delivery until the following morning. At
Mr. Wood's initiation, however, a memorial praying for a daily
delivery was successful, and subsequently a sub-post-ofifice
was established, Mr. Wood being elected sub-postmaster, and
this position he held for twelve years. Mr. Wood afterwards
became connected with various newspapers, and n that
capacity was well known.

Rambles Round H or ton. 185

Another family named Haley, were for generations shop-
keepers at the end of Southfield Lane, " Sally Haley's " being
a household name in the neighbourhood, and a Jeremy Haley
occupied the Mansion House before the Charnocks came to
reside at it. Dr. Illingworth, afterwards of Bradford, occupied
a room in this house, when commencing practice in the
district ; and the Mansion House was subsequently occupied
by the Misses Hinchliffe as a boarding school ; then by Mr,
E. K. Fox, and the present tenant is Mr. John Buckle.

;. While gossiping about old Hortonians who resided in
this neighbourhood we must make some reference to Abraham
Thomas, or " Doctor Tom," as he was familiarly called, who
was the village surgeon for over sixty years, and the only one
in'Horton for nearly forty. Dr. Thomas came from Hebden
liridgc in 1822, and resided first in the old parsonage opposite
Bell Chapel, afterwards removing to the end of Cross Lane,
where he died in February, 1878, in his eightieth year. The
doctor was one of the old school of surgeons, and bled for
ever}'thing, but he had the wisdom to refrain from dosing
with physic where fresh air was m.ore suitable, and was in the
habit of recommending a stroll upon Beacon Hill as the best
thing possible. He had his peculiarities, however, among
them being a love of money, although as a set-off he was
moderate in his charges, and was never known to ask for a
debt. He was a big, burly man, somewhat short-tempered,
and not very particular in his choice of language. Apart from
his medical standing, " Doctor Tom " played a somewhat
prominent part in the affairs of Horton, and enjoyed con-
siderable respect. He was a bachelor, and left several
bachelor brothers, among whom he divided his great property
while still alive. He was buried at Heptonstall, near his
native village.

Edward Cockerham was also a man of some standing in
Horton. He originally came from Leeds. His father was
a carrier between Leeds, Bradford, Manchester, and other
places, his waggons being well known as " Cockerham's
waggons." The son came as an apprentice to Cowling
Ackroyd, and remained several years after reaching manhood,
afterwards acting as manager for Messrs. Priestman at Brad-

186 Rambles Ro2md Hortoii.

ford, prior to his entering into partnership with Mr. Getz at
Atlas Shed, Tumbling Hill. He lived at the house adjoining
the Wesleyan Chapel, which was built by Samuel Blamires.
Mr. Cockerham afterwards purchased Chapel House and
resided there until his removal to Ashfield House, Bingley,
where he died in 1883. He was an active churchwarden at
Bell Chapel, and a kindly neighbour and friend.

The neighbourhood of Hunt Yard has been strangely
altered since the commencement of the present century.
When the old road from Bradford to Halifax by way of
Silsbridge Lane, Green Lane, Toby Lane, Scarr Lane, was
the chief highway, there was an open space at Hunt Yard,
used in later times by the surveyors for a dross hill.
Excepting an old hostelry there were only two or three low
dwellings in Hunt Yard. According to the evidence of an
inscribed stone still preserved, the old hostelry was erected in
1622, the sign being the " Robin Hood and Little John."
The building was pulled down in iSoo for the erection of
more modern dwellings. The original cellars, however,
remain, and are arched, and in an underground recess there
are several stone pillars which supported the old building. A
portion of the original walling is above a yard in thickness.
There used to be an old building connected with this hostelry
called " Brick Castle," in which travellers were lodged ; the
beds of oak being built into the walls. Altogether, the
" Robin Hood " was a noted house when the old Scarr Lane
passed in front of it. It was at a " hen drinking " in this house,
in which the murderer of " Fair Becca " took part, that her
ghost, it is said, first appeared.

The most singular legend in connection with Hunt Yard,
however, is one which has been told by Mr. James, in his
" History of Bradford," and to which subsequent^historians
have been able to add little. The story runs thus : — That a
wild boar once frequented a certain well in Cliff Wood to
drink ; that the beast was watched by a person who, having
shot him dead, cut out his tongue, and repaired to court to
claim the reward which had been offered to any one who
would rid the neighbourhood of the presence of the beast.
Presently after his departure from the well, another person

Rambles Round Horfon. i87

came thither upon the same errand, and finding the beast
dead, without any further examination he cut off his head
and hastened away to the same place in expectation of the
promised reward. Arriving" before liim who had been first at
the well, and being introduced to His Majesty's presence, the
head was examined, but was found without a tongue, con-
cerning which the man, being interrogated, could give no
satisfactory account. Whilst this was held in suspense,
the other man was introduced with the tongue, claimed the
promised reward, and unfolded the riddle by informing His
Majesty how and by what means he killed the beast, and thus
received the following grant, namely, a certain piece of land
lying at Great Horton, known by the name of Hunt Yard,
and for the tenure of which he and his heirs for ever should
annually attend at the market place at Bradford on St.
Martin's Day, in the forenoon, and there by the name of
Rushworth hold a dog of the hunting kind whilst three blasts
were blown on a horn, and utter these words following,
expressed aloud, " Come, heir of Rushworth, come hold my
dog whilst I blow three blasts of my horn to pay my
Martinmas rent withal."

This tradition has been preserved for centuries. The
famed John of Gaunt, lord of the Honor of Pontefract, it is
said, added the blowing of the horn in order to make his
progress through Bradford more imposing, and the original
grant was made to John Northrop, of Manningham, who
granted a portion of it to Rushworth, of Horton, for assisting
in the horn-blowing ceremony. The horn went with the Hunt
Yard property, and was handed down by its possessors for
generations. At one time it was used to summon the
manufacturers to market. By purchase of part of the Hunt
Yard property it came into the possession of Mr, Richard
Fawcett, who afterwards lived in Hunt Yard, where his son,
the late Canon Fawcett, was born. Mr. Fawcett employed
many handcombers in the neighbourhood, and for some time
after his removal to Bradford continued the employment.

At the sale of I\Ir. Fawcett's estate the Hunt Yard
property passed into the hands of Messrs. Harris, the bankers,
and Messrs. Fox purchased it from them at the price, it is

188 Rambles Round Norton.

said, of ^21 per house. The property now belongs to Mr.
R. A. Fox. The famous horn, however, came into the posses-
sion of Mr. Jonathan Wright, whose trustees at his death sold
it to the late Charles Rhodes,twho afterwards sold it to Dr.
Outhwaite. Dr. Outhwaite, having given up his house in
Bradford, did not feel himself justified in taking away this
interesting relic, and, according to agreement, gave Mr.
Rhodes the option of repurchasing it. This Mr. Rhodes did.
Afterwards it came into the possession of the late Sir Titus
Salt. Finally it has passed into the keeping of the Bradford
Philosophical Society, and may be seen in their museum at
the Technical College. Its length is about twenty-eight inches,
and it is of a beautiful dapple-grey, tipped with silver. The
silver tip is understood to have been added while the horn was
in the keeping of Mr. Fawcett.

Whilst taking our topographical ramblings in Great
Horton proper, we may add a sentence or two in reference
to Low Green or Low Fold. The existence here of two or
three very ancient houses, including the old Manor Llouse,
marks Low Green as one of the original settlements of Great
Horton. Tradition has it that the ancient residence of the
Horton family, formerly lords of the manor, was situate at
Low Green, and some colour is lent to the assumption by an
adjoining plot of ground being still called Hall Yard. With
all deference to the tradition, however, it is more likely that
the latter took its name from the family of Hall, which 200
years ago was one of some standing in that neighbourhood.
Upon an old residence ad- | and the date 1697,

ioininrr the King's Arms , . ' while similar initials

Inn, there are the initials are inscribed upon a

building at Low Green, with a subsequent date, 1722. As
noted in a previous paper, James Hall was, in 1704, assessed
in the property-tax for Horton at 20s., and he was also one
of the collectors. He lived at what is called the Manor
House, and owned land in front and at the back of his
residence. He was a manufacturer, as well as a carrier from
this district to London, conveying his own and other makers'
goods to the Metropolis by means of bell or pack horses.
He had a son John Hall, who lived at the same house after-

Rarnhles Round Norton. i89

wards, whose daughter Jane was married to Sammy Blamires,
who kept the King's Arms Inn. By Mr. WilHam Cousen's
marriage with Phcebe, the daughter of Sammy Blamires, the
Low Green property came into the hands of the Cousen
family.

Another old residence of equal antiquity at Low
Green was that occupied by Eli Suddards, a corn dealer,
who commenced the erection of Cross Lane Mill, after-
wards purchased and completed b}' Mr. William Cousen.
Upon a house i and the date 1657, but as

situate near the mill, , to its origin we have no

is the inscription 1 I information. By the laying

out of Horton Park several old homesteads have been
absorbed. In one of them, called Low Close Farm, resided
John Jennings, a well-known townsman, who succeeded James
Wilson. The Hall Yard now forms the cricket ground of
Morton Park.

190 Rambles Rotmd Norton .

C HAPTER XVI I.

Lidget Green— Dr. Fawcett — Mount Pleasant School — Schole Moor— The Mortimer
Family — The Midgleys— Schole Moor Cemetery — Birks Farm — Sams Mill.

There are doubtless several old portions of Great Horton,
as for example Blacksmith Fold and Upper Green, which
would yield abundant material for gossip, but we must hie
away to Lidget Green and Schole Moor, which are not
without features of interest.

Lidget or Lidgate Green has been supposed to be derived
from the Saxon Leodgate, signifying a gate leading to the
adjoining land, and we have abundant evidence that the land
to the west was formerly waste or common land. Li olden
times Lidgate Green would be a quiet place upon the old road
leading from Bradford to Halifax, the principal indication of
its existence being a blacksmith's shop at the corner of the
" Green," and two or three substantial farmsteads close at
hand. To one of these the following extract from the Sessions
Rolls of 1689 would doubtless apply, where we read : — " An
assembly of dissenting Protestants in and about Bradford
and Bradford-dale do make choice of the house of Richard
Whitehurst, clerk, Lidgate, near Clayton."

From this extract we derive two facts, one being that two
hundred years ago the place was called " Lidgate," and the
other that under the provisions of the so-called Toleration
Act, a little assembly at Lidget contributed to the foundation
of Nonconformity in these parts by establishing a meeting-
house. It would appear that the residents of Lidget Green in
more recent times were intolerant of clerical imposts, the
collector of vicar dues having been once stoned away at the
ri.sk of his life. Happily there has been no such martyr in
recent times. We are unaware whether the great bonfire
which upon each anniversary of Gunpowder Plot was set
ablaze at Lidget Green had any political or religious
significance, but it is certain that the residents of this hamlet
have for generations held pronounced views on matters
ecclesiastical and political, while local questions excite in
them an equal amount of interest.

Rambles Round Norton. 191

Lidgct Green has given birth to a thrifty race of people,
many families, such as the Rawnsleys, Bentleys, Cockcrofts
Leaches, Dewhirsts, Holdsworths, and others having clung
to the neighbourhood with loving pride. Their histories,
however, we must pass over to notice that of one of the
celebrities of the neighbourhood.

John Favvcett (afterwards the celebrated Dr. Fawcett)
was born at Lidget Green in January, 1739. His father was
Stephen Fawcett, a small farmer, and he leaving a numerous
progeny, John was bound apprentice to a staymaker in
Bradford. Although engaged from six in the morning to
eight at night, the young man contrived to steal a ^ew hours
for study, and became a good linguist and Biblical scholar.
His first- religious impressions were received from the
celebrated Whitfield, who preached in the Bradford Bowling
Green to about ten thousand persons when young Fawcett
was about sixteen years of age. He afterwards attended
Haworth Church, where the Rev. William Grimshaw, the
apostle of the North, officiated. In February, 1758, young
Fawcett came before the Baptist Church at Bradford, and was
baptised by the Rev. William Crabtree on the nth of March.
Having imbibed the doctrines of the Baptists, he still walked
to Haworth to hear the Rev. James Hartley, the Baptist
minister, preach; and in 1764 the latter was the means of
pressing Mr. Fawcett to accept the pastorate of W^ainsgate
Chapel, near Hebden Bridge, where he laboured for many
years. He afterwards established an academy at Ewood
Hall, which attained considerable celebrity and brought him a
handsome competence, and in 181 1 the degree of D.D. was
conferred upon him.

Dr. Fawcett's writings are numerous, his Commentary on
the Bible being a text-book for all Biblical scholars, and he
wrote many other valuable works, one of which, his " Essay
on Aneer," brought the author under the notice of George HI.
This was about the year 1802, when a dignitary of the
Church, preaching before His Majesty, quoted a passage on
the government of the passions, with which the Royal hearer
was particularly pleased, and requested to know the name of
the author quoted. This was given, and it was added that he

192 Rambles Ronnd Horton.

was a minister in Yorkshire of the Baptist denomination.
His Majesty wrote to Mr. Fawcett, and the book was
sent, accompanied by a modest and respectful letter. The
King having read it with great pleasure, expressed to Mr.
Fawcett his wish to serve him in any way that might be
agreeable. That gentleman, however, rested satisfied with
expressing the high sense he entertained of the honour done
him, without soliciting further favours. Some time afterwards,
the son of one of Mr. Fawcett's members was convicted of
forgery, and, sympathising with the afflicted parent, the
minister determined to avail himself of his interest with the
King, and wrote a very pathetic letter requesting the life of
the young man. A reprieve was at once granted, to the
great surprise of all who did not know the previous cir-
cumstances, but the full particulars of the event Dr. Fawcett
considered himself bound by delicacy to conceal during the
life of his benefactor. One of the doctor's sermons delivered
at the Baptist Association in Bradford in 1810 produced a
great effect. His death occurred in 1817 ; aged seventy-seven.

The building called Mount Pleasant Independent School
may be regarded as a link connecting the present with the
past. Although of humble appearance contrasted with such
erections as the new Board school adjoining, or the numerous
Sunday schools upon the elegant scale now prevailing, Mount
Pleasant School did good service at a period when such
institutions were much needed. Although, as we have shown,
a small body of Dissenters had nearly two centuries ago done
its part in establishing a meeting-house at the Green, no
necessity had apparently arisen for the erection of a place of
worship, and half a century ago there was neither church,
chapel, nor school-house in the neighbourhood.

The pioneer in providing an acknowledged want was
Mr. Joshua Rhodes Balme, of Crosley Hall. He first
collected children in a cottage occupied by Sarah Silson, and
the school was continued there until the cottage became
too small to accommodate the numbers seeking admission-
Subscriptions were then raised towards the erection of a
school for instruction on Sundays and week days, and a plot
of land was purchased from Messrs. John & Robert Turner,

Rambles Round Horton. 193

stone merchants, of Legrams, containing an area of 324 square
yards, for the sum of £dfO los. The trustees contracting for
the purchase were the Rev. J. G. Miall, Bradford ; Rev. Thos,
Hutton, Allerton ; Henry Brown, Bradford, draper ; Geo.
Osborn, Bradford, woolstapler ; Wm. Mackay, Manningham,
tea dealer ; John Wilkinson Balme, Allerton, coal proprietor ;
Wm. Smith, Legrams, worsted spinner ; Samuel Rawnsley,
Lidget Green, worsted manufacturer ; Joseph Holdsworth,
Lidget Green, worsted manufacturer ; John Holdsworth,
Paradise Green, stuff weaver ; Thos. Hammond, Bradford,
worsted manufacturer; Thomas Buck, Bradford, worsted
spinner ; Wm. Wyrill, Bradford, ironmonger ; Robert
Patterson, Bradford, stuff merchant ; and John Dewhirst,
Lidget Green, stuff weaver.

The building was opened in the year 1838, with about
120 scholars, Mr. Joshua Balme being the responsible head,
assisted, as teachers, by his cousin, Mr. E. Balme, the Misses
Holdsworth, Tiplady, Rawnsley, and others. Mr. Balme had
had an academic training, and his heart was evidently in the
work. He was, however, somewhat of a recluse, and had a
little room fitted up in the attic of the school, in which he
studied and slept, the dim light of his nightly lamp being
often observed in the small hours of the morning. Mount
Pleasant School was at first attached to Horton Lane Chapel,
tlien to Salem Chapel, and afterwards to Lister Hills Chapel,
with which it is now connected. \\\ 1877 the building was
completely remodelled at an expenditure of ^600, chiefly
through the liberality and endeavours of Mr. Robert Leach,
an old scholar at the school, and one of the present trustees.

The National School at Lidget Green was opened in 1839,
having been erected principally by subscription. The land for
the site was given by Mr. Joshua Pollard, of Crow Trees. The
architect of the building was Mr. Wm. Andrews, of Bradford.

Scholemoor (with which may be associated Paradise
Green) is a hamlet of Horton adjoining to Lidget Green, and
is supposed to have derived its • name from having been
moorland dotted with rude huts ; scholcs or scJiales denoting
huts. That the commons or wastes of Horton lay in the
vicinity, if not upon the actual site of the Scholemoor

194 Rambles Round Norton.

Cemetery, the deeds handed over to the Corporation
abundantly testify. These deeds extend backwards to the
year 1520, and bring up the title to the most recent owners.
The temptation to copy freely from such a wealth of material
is undoubtedly great, but we must be content to indicate by a
few extracts the line of owners since the land was " improved "
from the waste.

While yet in this condition a family of the name of
Thornton would appear to have been possessed of a messuage
and lands at Scholemoor, but as they do not appear after
about the year 1520, and were then described as of Byrtbe, in
the county of York, their interest was probably bought up by
the most important Scholemoor family on record, that of the
Mortimers. In 1562 John Lacy, of Cromwellbotham, who
had succeeded to the lordship of the Manor of Horton by
marrying the heiress of the Leventhorpes, conveyed to John
Mortimer, of Scholemoor, several parcels taken from the
waste lands of Horton, and similar grants were made to
William Ellison, of Horton, Thomas Littlewood, and Thomas
Wood, rendering knight's service, suit of Court at Horton, and
an annual rent of one red rose (an evident indication that the
grantor could give no substantial title).

In Oct., 1589, Richard and John Lacy sold the moors
and wastes of Horton, at that time said to comprise 250 acres,
to Thomas Hodgson, of Bowling, yeoman, Thomas Sharp,
Robert Booth, and William Field, of Horton. Accordingly
we find several deeds, dated 1591, relating to grants made
from the newly-acquired wastes, of which the following is an
example, viz. : —

Mar. 31, 1 59 1. — Thos. Hodgson, of Bowling, yeoman, Thos. Sharp,
Robt. Booth, Wm. Field, of Horton, yeomen, granted to Edwd.
?vIortimer, of Horton, clothier, all those parcels of land, being portions
of eight acres forming part of Horton common or moor, five acres being
on the west side of the road Icadino to the end of the mansion-house of
Ed. Mortimer, and abutting on the north side by the road leading from
Clayton to Bradford. Another parcel of five roods abutting on the same
road, and on the east side by land belonging to Benjamin Kennett, clerk ;
and another parcel lying in the Upper Moor, being portions of land
assigned to Edwd. Mortimer, Richard Clayton, John Hollings, Thos.
liarraclough, and others. And also another parcel containing lA. IR.,

Rambles Round Horton. 195

having a road over it, being the residue of the aforesaid eight acres,
abutting on the lands of Ed. Mortimer, in Horton.

The mention of a " mansion-house " at that remote
period naturally leads the antiquarian mind to wonder where
it might be situate, and there can be little doubt that the
residence in question was that which stood near the top of
Scholemoor Cemetery when the land was acquired for burial
purposes. The house was a substantial specimen of the class
usually inhabited by the smaller gentry, having heavy over-
hanging eaves, and massive mullioned windows. A pair of
huge pillars flanked the entrance gateway in front, a broad
walk leading to the house. Several of the large trees
surrounding the residence are now standmg in the Cemetery.

The Mortimers evidently added to their possessions in
other parts of the township, as is shown by deeds dealing
with land at Hollinwood, to which place members of the
family migrated from the paternal homestead. Particulars
of the Scholemoor branch are given in the following
summarised wills: —

Will of John Mortimer, oj Scholemoor, dated 16^8.
John Mortimer, yeoman, in his last will and testament, made May
12, 1658, devised to William Mortimer, his younger son, and his heirs, all
that dwelling-house and barn, with one close of land belonging, then in
the occupation of Matthew Sowden, and situate in Horton ; four closes
called Milner Closes, and other closes in Horton, occupied by the said
John Mortimer. To Elizabeth, Martha, Sarali, and Mary Mortimer, his
daughters, he left one hundred pounds each. To his wife Mary he
bequeathed a portion of his goods and chattels ; and to his eldest son
John the residue of his estate.

Witnesses : Richard Booth, William Field, John lllingworth.

Will of John Mortimer, jun., of Scholemoor, dated 16"] 8.
John Mortimer, yeoman, of Scholemoor, in his last will and
testament, made December, 1678, provided that if the child then
expectant should be a son, then he should inherit all his estate at
Scholemoor ; and, if a daughter, he bequeathed to her the sum of three
hundred pounds, and in that case devised his estates to his brother
William, his heirs, &c., upon payment of the above bequest to his unborn
daughter upon her attaining her majority. To his wife Elizabeth he made
provision by a yearly allowance during her lifetime. To Elizabeth,
Martha, Sarah, and Mary, his four sisters, he left the sum of one
hundred pounds,

Witnesses : John Sagar, John Hodgson, David Midgley.

196 Rambles Round Horton.

In Sir John Maynard's valuation of the rectorial tythes of
Horton, made in 1638, John Mortimer, of Scholemoor, is
assessed at £2\ on three oxgangs of land, and a John
Mortimer is the only master miner named in the early
registers of the Bradford Parish Church ; while in the allot-
ment of sittings at the church, made before 1705, Wm.
Mortimer has the largest number allotted to him as a
freeholder of Horton, namely, four and one-fourth, showing
that William had succeeded to his brother John's estate ''as
bequeathed in the second will) failing a son being born to
the inheritance. Indeed we have the receipt before us dated
June, 1705, wherein his brother's wife Elizabeth acknowledges
the half-yearly payment of £6 13s. 4d., " by virtue of the last
will and testament of John Mortimer, my late husband."

The relation of the Mortimers to the Tempest family of
Horton is indicated to some extent in the following extract
from a deed referring to Shelf Hall, Avherein by indenture
dated

July 12, 1660. — Richard Mortymer, of Horton, in Bradford-dale,
yeoman, in consideration of the sum of ^19 6s., bargains to sell to
Martha Best, of Landimere, Shelf, widow of Richard Best, and Michael
Best, younger son of Richard Best late of the same, yeoman, deceased,
the messuage called "the old house," &c., in Shelf, late the inheritance of
Richard Tempest, of Horton, deceased, late uncle of Richard Mortymer
deceased, who died without issue. The estate then came to Richard
Mortymer, as cousin and next heir of the said Richard Tempest, (that is
to say) son and heir of Sarah, late wife of William Mortymer, deceased,
late father of said Richard Mortymer, and which said Sarah was sister
and only heir of Richard Tempest.

Witnesses : Isaac Maude, Jas. Sagar, Will. Appleyard, John

Learoyd.

About the beginning of the eighteenth century the
Mortimer estate at Scholemoor appears to have become
merged in that of the Midgleys, one of the four sisters named
in John Mortimer's will having married a Midgley, who in
1706 administered to the personalty of her brother, William
Mortimer. The Midgley family was of ancient descent at
Headley, in Thornton, and was connected by marriage with
many of the chief families in the neighbourhood. In the
Bradford Parish Church there is a handsome mural monument

Rambles Round Norton. 197

in memory of John Midglcy, of Scholcmoor, who died in
1730, and of Bathsheba, his wife, daughter of John HoHings,
of Crosley Hall, who died in 1736. The deceased gentleman
was an attorney. The deeds conveying the Scholemoor
estate to the Bradford Corporation describe the Midgleys
as of Scholemoor, and presumably residing at the former
mansion of the Mortimers.

About 1740 two maiden sisters of John Midgley, of
Scholemoor, gentleman, named Mary and Martha, purchased
the adjoining manor of Clayton for ^looo. Mary Midgley
became the first wife of Samuel Lister, Esq., of Horton, and,
she dying in 1764 without issue, the manor became the
property of her unmarried sister, Martha, who by her will
dated 1778 devised the lordship of Clayton and all her estate
to the Rev. Geo. Cooke, of Everton, and Mary his wife, who
was a Rollings. The Rev. Henry Cooke, a son of the latter,
succeeded to the Scholemoor estate, and in 1800 sold it to Mr.
John Jarratt, of Bradford, who had land in the neighbourhood,
the Scholemoor land being then in the tenancy of Richard
Lumby, farmer. In 18 14 Mr. Jarratt disposed of his interest
to John Booth, farmer, of Denby, Allerton, who, by his will,
dated 1826, bequeathed his estates at Clayton, Manningham,
and Scholemoor to Joshua Robertshaw, of Swain Royd, and
James and William Booth, both of Allerton, in trust for the
use of his wife Mary, and Ann Lumby, his daughter, and
her children.

The transfer of the Scholemoor estate to the Corporation
was made in 1858 by Wm. Tickles, \\'ilsden ; Dan Hopkin,
Clifton ; Jos. Woodhead, Cleckheaton ; and Catherine Booth
Woodhead, daughter of Samuel Lumb}'. Samuel and Richard
Lumby, of Scholemoor, were brothers, the former residing in
the homestead previously described as standing within the
Cemetery grounds, and the latter in the farmstead situate
near to the Cemetery gates. Both the brothers Lurnb}' were
very active townsmen during the early part of the present
century. Richard was largely engaged in farming operations ;
Samuel, or " owd Sammy Lumby," as he was invariabl}- called,
was almost wholly engaged in town's business either as
overseer or constable, and he was the leading churchwarden at

198 Rambles Round Horton.

Bell Chapel. In 1857, when the Scholcmoor estate came into
the market, Mr. James Dixon, of Bradford, purchased two
lots, upon the site of which he erected North Park Lodge,
where he resides.

Scholemoor Cemetery stands in a beautiful position just
beyond Lidget Green, the ground lying upon a gentle slope
overlooking the Thornton Valley. An estate of more than
thirty acres was purchased by the Corporation at a cost of
£^^^0. Twenty acres have been laid out, ten acres being
reserved in fields and meadows for future appropriation. The
principal works were begun in the latter part of 1858, and
were carried out under the direction of Mr. Gott, the borough
surveyor, the registrar's house and the chapels having been
erected from the designs of Mr. E. Milnes, architect. The
cost of the site and the laying out was about £\ 1,000

Springfield, the residence of Mr. Simeon Townend, is not
very ancient, although it has been much altered in appearance.
Formerly the ground upon which it stands, as well as the
adjoining land, formed a part of the estate of the Pollards, of
Crow Trees, afterwards bought by the Horsfalls. The house
has been occupied successively by Joshua Dewhirst, John
Hardaker, topmaker and farmer, John Sagar, Jo. Morris,
solicitor ; and others. Before Mr. Morris entered to it the
land was said to be " too poor to summer a gooise," but under
his care, and that of the succeeding occupier, it has been
much improved.

Until recently the carriage way which divided the two
portions of Scholcmoor Cemetery led to a footpath which
to the left went forward to Crosley Hall, and to the right
led to Birks P'arm, comprising two separate tenements. One
occupied by James Pearson and cut in the mantel-

contains the inscription piece of an adjoining

over the doorway _ building the initials

and the date 1664. There is also a curious motto
accompanying the latter inscription, as follows : —
" My son, fear the Lord and the King, and meddle
not with them that are given to change." This portion of the
homestead is in a ruinous condition, but was formerly owned
and occupied by Thomas Hodgson, who is severally described

Rambles Round Hortoii. 199

as a woolstapler and merchant. His family continued the
occupation, a more recent Thomas Hodgson being one of
the original trustees of Horton Lane Chapel, and described
in the deeds of 1781 as a worsted stuff maker. He after-
wards removed to a good house on the site of Messrs.*
D. Illingworth & Sons' Mill in Thornton Road. A long time
ago this portion of Birks Farm was in the occupation of
William Smith, and then of John Waugh, of Shuttleworth
Hall, whose family combined clog-making with farming.

An adjoining house, but one not of so ancient an
appearance, has for generations been in the occupation of
the family of Bakes. Both properties until recently belonged
to Mr. J. A. Jowett, as the descendant of the Hodgsons, but
Bakes's Farm has lately been purchased by the Corporation
for the purpose of improving the cemetery site.

The situation of Sams Mill marks it as the probable site
of a very old corn mill, bordering the stream which, after
receiving the waters of Bullgreave Beck, dividing Clayton from
Horton, is afterwards known as Bradford Beck. The origin
of the name of the mill is obscure, but the date of its founda-
tion is probably given in an inscribed stone upon an inner
wall, which orioin- with the words, " Sams Mill

T H

ally was an outer on Middle Broke," namely,

wall, as follows : — that portion of the stream

dividing Allerton and Clayton. The above date and initials,
it will be observed, correspond with those upon the old house
at Birks ; indeed, the mill was evidently erected by Thomas
Hodgson, and afterwards passed to Dicky Hodgson, of
Whetley, from whom the property has descended to its
present owner, Mr. J. A. Jowett.

Of former millers we have only recent records. A
century ago John Jennings, whose family were millers at
Bowling Corn Mill, and lessees of the old Soke Mill, Bradford,
was tenant of Sams Mill, and in April, 1789, was killed by
the cogwheel of the mill. His widow married John Dalby,
of Leventhorpe Mill and Crosley Hall, who succeeded to
Sams Mill. After Dalby came Joseph Pilling, who had
previously run Poole old mill. He lived at the house
adjoining .Sams Mill, where his sons William and Joseph

200 Rambles Round Horton.

were born. The latter were of an enterprising turn, as, in
addition to running Sams Mill, they occupied Beckside Mill
at Horton, and about forty years ago erected the premises
in Manchester Road, now known as the Borough Mills
(Messrs. J. Ellis & Co.).

James Pearson, of Leventhorpe Mill, followed the Fillings
at Sams Mill, and has been the miller there now for forty
years. By alterations and additions the old mill has been
almost completely absorbed, and little is observable of the
original structure. Many years ago, however, Mr. Pearson
discovered an underground passage, which had apparently
been long hidden from view, and of which the former tenant
knew nothing, which had been probably a portion of the
goit for the waste water. The old house adjoining has also
received considerable additions.

In an old map of 1773 the adjoining land is named
" Scoles-moor," and the bridge leading to it from Manningham,
"Thief- ford Bridge." Thiefscore Lane, which has been
greatly widened and otherwise improved, has been re-named
Cemetery Road, and Scholemoor Lane altered to Necropolis
Road.

Rambles Round Horton. 201

CHAPTER XVIII.

Legrams Lane— The Beiitleys^Hortoii Cirange— Dr. Maud— 11 le Turner Family —
John Jackson and Stephen Fawcett Lister Hills— Tlie West End Building
Club— Tanhouse— Fieldhead Dyeworks— Samuel Smith— The " Happy \'alley."

Legrams Lane is chiefly noticeable for the array of
familiar names with which it has been associated. Indeed, to
do justice to this part of the township an additional paper
would be needed, but we must refrain.

One of the names calling for mention is that of Nathan
Bentley. He was of a humble Horton famil}', and was
brought up to handloom weaving. By marriage with a
daughter of Mr. Joshua Bakes, of Horton, Mr. Bentley
acquired property at Legrams, and in 1837 erected upon it
Northside Mill, in which he successfully carried on the
worsted business, being, next to Mr. Cowling Ackroyd, the
largest manufacturer in Horton at one time. The business
was afterwards conducted by his sons Edwin, William, Bakes,
Nathan, and Henry Bentley, but was given up some years
ago. Besides his commercial enterprise, Mr. Nathan Bentley
had military leanings, and held a recruiting commission under
Government. He was himself a man of commanding presence
and of soldierlike bearing.

A more ancient family than the one last named resided
in the substantial farmhouse opposite the entrance gates of
Horton Grange, namely, that of Swaine. As already stated,
it was from this homestead that Mr. John Rand the elder
married his wife, the daughter of Samuel Swaine. The
Woods, father and son, succeeded Swaine, and they have been
followed by the Robertshaws. The farm, however, has for
generations belonged to the Hodgson family, represented
by Mr. J. A. Jowett. In an upper portion of the farmstead
there is a fine plaster cast of the Ro}-al arms, surmounted by
the initials of Charles II. and the date 1660. At some period
the apartment has probably been used as a justice-room.

Horton Grange has a twofold histor}-, associated as it is
with Dr. Maud, a member of an old Ouakcr family, and with

202 Rambles Round Horton.

the Turners, the latter being one of the most influential
families in the township. Ur. William Maud was born in
Bradford in 1765, his father, Timothy, being a surgeon there.
His father's place of business was in Westgate, and to his
practice William Maud .succeeded, and became an exceedingly
popular practitioner. He was amongst the first to give effect
to Jenner's discovery of vaccination. He also established,
with his partner, the firm, of Maud & Wilson, druggists, in
Sun Bridge, but in 1820 retired from practice, and went
to reside at a large house which stood on the site of the
Victoria Hotel in Bridge Street. He was an eminent member
of the Society of Friends, and took great interest in the slave-
trade question, the Bible Society, and Sunday schools, besides
giving his professional advice gratis to poor people.

Mr. Maud removed from Bridge Street to Legrams,
having for his residence an old house which stood on the site
of Horton Grange. This house he much improved, and also
planted the trees now surrounding the grounds.

About the year 1831 Mr. Maud withdrew altogether from
town life, and retired to a small farm in Craven, which he
took great pleasure in cultivating, and where he spent the
remainder of his days. His death occurred in September,
1835, aged seventy-one. Benjamin Seebohm, of the firm of
Hustler & Seebohm, woolstaplers, succeeded Dr. Maud at
Legrams, but ultimately went to reside at Hitchin, where his
family still live.

Horton Grange estate next became the property of
Messrs. John & Robert Turner, stone merchants, whose
quarries were also situate in Legrams. The old homestead of
the Turners was that since acquired and enlarged by Mr.
George Hodgson. The two brothers pulled down Dr. Maud's
old residence and erected upon the site two houses, in which
they resided, and upon the death of John the Grange was
made into one residence for Robert, who was the father of
Messrs. George, John, and Robert Turner, of Holme Top and
Beckside Mills. Horton Grange is now the residence of Mr.
George Turner, who has added to his estate much of the land
in the vicinity. The Gothic villa in Legrams Lane was built
for the widow of Mr. John Turner.

Rambles Rotind Norton. 203

The Swaines and the Ramsbothams, families of import-
ance in Bradford in the beginning of the century, were
associated with Legrams, but ample reference was made to
both families while treating of commercial matters in a
previous chapter. The house, which is now the Willowfield
Hotel, was the residence of Mr. H. R. Ramsbotham. Prior to
his occupancy of it, a family named Smith, comprising two
bachelor brothers and a sister, resided there. Lawrence
Smith, whose residence was a little higher up Legrams Lane,
farmed the land on which Princeville stands.

The building now occupied by Mr. George Robertshaw
is one of the few farmsteads which retain their ancient
appearance in this neighbour- , and the date 1728.

hood. Inscribed on the ' I The rhain struc-

ample porch are the initials ' ' ture is evidently of

a prior date. The leading initial, we believe, denotes the
house to have been a residence of the Barraclough family, of
Horton. The property had, however, been acquired by Dicky
Hodgson, of Whetley, prior to 1800, at which period Isaac
Wilkinson, a stuff-maker, was the occupant. John Rhodes,
John Wilkinson, and George Robertshaw have since 'divided
the occupation.

Tanhouse, probably the early residence of the Brooksbank
family, was for forty years occupied by William Greenwood.
Before him Joseph Freeman, tanner, occupied the premises.
The new building, however, was erected as a residence for
Tom Hirst, one of the Hirsts of Clayton, and sometime
schoolmaster at the National School, Great Horton. The
love of sport, however, was such a predominant feature in
Tom Hirst's character that it is said he would any day leave
his school to follow the hounds, and probably his scholars
offered no objection to the holiday thus secured.

Before quitting Legrams a brief record of two of its
celebrities, namely, the late John Jackson and Stephen
Fawcett, may be inserted. Both occupied an humble sphere
in life, and both were remarkable in their respective walks.

John Jackson, or the " old Chartist," as he was latterly
styled, was a native of Harden, but when quite a lad came
to Horton, where his father had obtained employment at

204 Rambles Round Morton.

Kniijht's cotton mill. John himself worked at the padpost,
and probably while at his occupation round the " pot o' four"
he imbibed those political notions which distinguished his
after life. He relinquished woolcombing, however, while yet
a young man, and took to horticultural pursuits, for which he
had a natural bent, and which he indulged so long as strength
allowed him. Meanwhile Jackson was a close student of
theology, of political economy, and of politics generally. He
was one of the first Chartists, but he had no sympathy with
" physical force," and strongly opposed many of the doctrines
held by his colleagues. He, along with Mr. Squire Farrar,
Mr. \Vm. Richardson, and a few others, established the old
Radical Reform Club in Bradford, out of which all subsequent
organisations of a like character have sprung.

John Jackson was always ready with his pen to uphold
his beliefs, and wrote many letters and pamphlets under the
signature, " J. J.," his most notable pamphlet being that
directed against Feargus O'Connor, entitled "The Demagogue
Done Up." He was also a good conversationalist, being full
of quaint humour. For more than half a century John
Jackson lived at Legrams, and in the same cottage. His
means, however, were very slender, and having lost his
partner in life he gave up his modest mansion, and built
himself a tiny hut in his garden allotment, and in this hermit
fashion he lived up to within a few days of his death, which
occurred at nearly eighty years of age, in March, 1875.

Stephen Fawcett was a man entitled to rank amongst the
best of our local poets, and might have acquired an even
more distinguished position had he not attempted too much.
For forty years he wrote and published poems and lyrics
descriptive of the natural scenery and legendary incidents
connected with his native valley of the Wharfe, as well as on
other topics, reverential, pathetic, grotesque, or tragic. His
first essay was in 1837, when he published his " Wharfedale
Lays and Legends " ; in 1842 his " Edwy and Elgiva "
appeared; and in 1872, by subscription, his "Bradford
Legends." None of his literary ventures, however, brought
him pecuniary gain — -a penalty frequently attaching to
literary effort.

Rambles Round H or ton. 205

Stephen Fawcett was a man of voracious appetite for
learning, and by his own efforts mastered Latin, French, and
ItaHan, thus enabling him to consult authors in all three
languages. It was within an hour of giving a discourse to a
few friends in White Abbey, upon a passage from the Latin
version of Swedenborg's Adversaria, in December, 1876, that
he was found dead in a backyard in the neighbourhood. For
some time previous he had been supported by the generosity
of friends almost as poor as himself, and it is more than
probable that he died from the lack of sufficient sustenance.
Stephen Fawcett was a native of Burley, where he was born
in 1806. At the time of his death, therefore, he had reached
the allotted term of life.

Remembering the present populous character of Lister
Hills, the statement would hardly be credited that in the
year 1825 the inhabitants of that district were limited to
the half-dozen families resident at Cuckoo Nest. It was so,
however. There was no Lister Hills Road, nor Longside
Lane, nor Richmond Road, nor Preston Street, giving access
to the locality, this being alone supplied by Water Lane,
leading to Silsbridge Lane, and a footpath in continuation of
Shearbridge Road through the Fieldhead estate and over the
beck to Manningham. The land principally belonged to
Mrs. Giles, representing the old Sharp family, and Col.
Fitzgerald, if we except the Fieldhead Estate, which belonged
to Mr. Henry Gates, who had a residence opposite Shearbridge
Road, then a narrow steep lane crossing the Horton Beck.

The origin of the name of Lister Hills is clear. The
F'itzgeralds obtained the property by the marriage of Col.
Fitzgerald with the daughter of Dr. Crowther, of Leeds,
"she being heir-at-law of Samuel Lister, of Horton House,
gentleman. In the settlement drawn up in view of the
marriage of Samuel Lister and his second wife Dorothy, in
1766, mention is made of closes of land in Horton called the
Langsides, purchased by him of Benjamin Kennett, vicar of
Bradford, and inherited by the latter from his grandfather,
Mr. Stockdale ; and also the Great and Little Laistridge,
Tumbling Hill (then occupied by John Whitaker) ; and the
Norcroft, purchased by Samuel Lister of Thomas Aked, but

206 Rambles Round H or ton.

previously owned by Faith Sawrey (heiress of the Sharp
estates). The bulk of the land in question comprised what is
now known as Lister Hills, evidently derived from the name
of Lister, of Horton House.

This view is confirmed by the ground plan of the
Fitzgerald Estate, dated 1825, in which the names Upper
and Lower Lister Hills occur. In the latter year a large
portion of the Horton property of the Fitzgeralds was put
into the market for sale as building land, and many blocks in
Lister Hills were sold. Directly afterwards, however, came
the great commercial crisis, bringing down the Wakefield
Bank and other previously considered safe repositories, and as
a consequence many of the speculators declined or were
unable to take up their purchases. Nor was the difficulty got
over easily, and not until the vendors had undertaken the
laying out and construction of Norcroft Road, now Richmond
Road, and Longside Lane, as an approach to the various
building plots. For years afterwards very few dwelling-
houses were put up on the estate, those in Lister Terrace,
erected by Dr. Thomas Lister, being about the first.

In the year 1845, or twenty years subsequent to the
opening up of the Fitzgerald Estate, an important building
movement was instituted at Lister Hills, leading to the
erection of Cobden Street, Bright Street, and Villiers Street.
At that period building clubs were in their infancy, the
Belgrave Place and one or tv/o other clubs having just been
started. Inspired by the growing desire to become landlords,
carrying with it the privilege of a vote for the county, several
working men put their savings together and founded the
West End Building Society, and a suitable plot of land
belonging to the Giles Estate of Horton Old Hall being
available, they purchased the whole at the price of 2s. 6^d.
per yard. It may be added that the corner plot upon which
the Waterloo Hotel stands, exchanged for a site selected by
the West End Club, only cost is. 6d. per yard.

A critical moment, however, occurred in the early history
of the West End Building Society which might have wrecked
the hopes of its promoters. Their accumulated capital had
reached ;^900, and had been invested in the Leeds and West

Rmnbles Round Norton. 207

Riding Union Bank, whose premises were in l^ank Street,
when a rumour reached the trustees of the society that the
bank was in difficulties. In great distress the treasurer
hastened with his bank book, arriving just in time to find
the doors of the bank being closed to the pubh'c ! The
entire capital of the building club was invested in the bank,
and affairs looked serious ; but to the honour of the share-
holders of the bank be it said that they paid every farthing
of the club's deposit, not even reserving bank commission.
At the commencement of the society's operations only a few
straggling erections had appeared in Lister Hills, but the
demand for shares was such that dwellings were put up as
fast as share capital was available. The names given to the
various streets were inspired by the great Corn-Law agitation,
then at its height.

Practically, if not in order of priority, the opening up of
the Fieldhead Estate led to the development of Lister Hills.
This property, as previously stated, belonged to Mr. Henry
Oates, a member of the Leeds family of that name. At
the beginning of the century Mr. Oates was a somewhat
prominent member of Bradford society, and was a partner
in the Old Brewery. He was an active member of Chapel
Lane Chapel, and of a very benevolent disposition. At any
rate, he was a wealthy man, and* lived at Fieldhead House,
surrounding which he planted trees, adding quite a rural
aspect to the suburban locality.

Upwards of half a century ago Mr, Oates disposed of
his estate at Fieldhead to Mr. Robert Stables Ackroyd, of
Great Horton, who erected upon a portion of it Fieldhead
Mill, which he occupied. Another portion he sold to the firm
of Messrs. Joseph Smith & Sons, comprising John and
Thomas Smith, dyers, of Halifax, who commenced the
erection of Fieldhead Dyeworks, opened in October, 1836.
After a few years the senior partner and his son Thomas went
out of the firm, and Mr. Samuel Smith joined his brothers at
Bradford, under the style of Samuel Smith, Brothers & Co.,
the dyeworks at Halifax being still carried on. In 1843 3.
dissolution of partnership took place, and Mr. John Smith
retired, when the firm traded as Messrs. Samuel Smith & Co.,

208 Rambles Round Horton.

and under this title it has been carried on until the concern
was transformed into a limited company in 1878, the directors
being Mr. S. Milne Milne, Mr/ C. Telford Smith, and
Mr. William Binns.

It is unnecessary to add that the Fieldhead Dyeworks
have been greatly enlarged since their formation, being now
among the most extensive in the district. Field House was
erected by Mr. John Smith, one of the early partners, and
upon the late Mr. Samuel Smith coming to Bradford he took
up his residence there. Fieldhead Mills were occupied by
Messrs. Tremel & Co. after the death of Mr. R. S. Ackroyd,
but were purchased by Mr. John Smith, father of Alderman
Isaac Smith, who is now the owner and occupier. Mr.
Archibald Neill some years ago purchased the residue of the
Oates Estate, including Fieldhead House, and upon it he
erected many dwelling-houses, including St. Andrew's Villas.

No topographic notice of Lister Hills would be complete
without reference, however brief, to the character and enterprise
of the late Samuel Smith, of Fieldhead Dyeworks. Of his
commercial ability ample proof was furnished in the rapid
increase of the dyeworks after he became the leading partner.
He had not long been settled at Lister Hills before he began
to afford evidence that his mind was not wholly absorbed in
commercial affairs.

With a view to the development of the neighbourhood of
the dyeworks he commenced the erection of dwelling-houses
of an improved character in Preston Place, which was named
after Mr. John Preston, of Bradford, woolstapler, and a cousin
of Mrs. Smith, to whom he left some property. The street
afterwards got the name of Preston Street. At the corner
block Mr. Smith erected a building which was used as a
chapel and school-room, and in which occasional oratorios
were given under Mr. Smith's management. Preston Place
School was completed in P'ebruary, 1847, the organ being
opened at the same time by Dr. Gauntlett.

Mr. Smith's love of music was intense, and his skill and
judgment in musical matters were highly valued in quarters
not restricted to this neighbourhood. He was the chief
promoter of the erection of St. George's Hall, and was the

Rambles Round Norton. 209

chairman of the company for many years. It was during the
first year of his mayoralty of Bradford, in 1851, that the
foundation-stone of the hall was laid with Masonic honours.
The Bradford Festival Choral Society was also established
mainly through his influence, and as its president he gloried
in the proud position to which the society attained. In
public affairs Mr. Smith acquired equal prominence, he having
been the first burgess called upon to sustain the office of
Mayor of Bradford for three years in succession, namely, from
November, 185 i, to November, 1854. His death occurred at
Cliffe Hill, Warley, in July, 1873, at the age of sixty-eight.

The church of St. Andrew, at Lister Hills, was erected
in 1852 at a cost of ;;^3000. The building was consecrated
by the Bishop of Ripon on September 28, 1853. The
tower has since been added. Lister Hills Independent
Chapel dates its origin from the little preaching-room
established by Mr. Samuel Smith, at Preston Place. The
chapel was opened in 1854, and in its erection and subsequent
well-being Mr. Smith took an active interest.

When the various wards of the borough were rearranged
by the Town Council a short time ago, Lister Hills was made
to include a very large portion of Little Horton, and the
upper boundary was fixed at the centre of Trinity Road,
Grafton Street, and Caledonia Street. Many people thought
at that time that some entirely new name would have been
better than an old one which represented a mere fraction of
the newly formed area, Lister Hills proper being solely that
part of the old hamlet and district of Little Horton lying
between the stream called West Brook and the township of
Manningham.

Ashfield, or the " Happy Valley," as it was termed from
its being colonised by Quakers, was originally a portion of the
Giles (or Sharp) estate, until the advantage of the site for
residential purposes was recognised by John Armistead and
Wm. Frazer Hoyland, two Bradford grocers, members of the
Society of Friends. The situation was indeed very pleasant,
all the land being open around Ashfield, with a clear stream
running down the valley. Another company of Quaker
builders erected residences in Westbrook Place, on the opposite

210 Rambles Round H or ton.

side of the valley, giving rise to the " happy " name by
which for many years this immediate locality was known.
James Ellis, also ' a Friend, erected West Lodge, now the
residence of Alderman Nathan Drake, and in it he resided
for some time. The "four ashes," — a tree four stems of which
grew from one root — and said to be about half way between
Hull and Liverpool, once stood near to the top of Ashfield.
It fell to the ground in November, 1835, completely blocking
up the highway opposite.

Rambles Round H or ton. 211

C II A P T \i R XIX.

Religious Organisations— The Wesleyans— The Old School at Todley— Hunt Yard
Chapel— The Old Bell Chapel - Rev. .Samuel Redhead— Rev. J. C. Boddington—
Rev. John Harrison— Rev. G. M. Webb — St. John the Evangelist — Moravian
Chapel, Paternoster f'old — Primitive Methodism -Wesley Place Chapel — The
Congregationalists .

In "rambling" about Great Horton no mention was
made of the religious organisations and several other matters,
in order that the topographic survey upon which we set out
might be presented in a connected form. The omission may
now be supplied, and in so doing a chapter may be devoted
to the religious societies of the place.

Among existing organisations the honour of first starting
a school and place of worship in Great Horton belongs to
the Wesleyans, who set about the erection of the small
building at Old Todley (the present site of Broadbent's Mill),
which, as previously stated, was completed in the year 1766.
A class had been formed in Great Horton, however, long
before this period.

In Stamp's " History of Methodism " we read that
"amongst those who at this early period (1747) joined the
ranks of Methodism was Nathaniel Dracup, of Great Horton ;
a steady, moral young man, then in his nineteenth year, who
subsequently became one of the most exemplary and useful
members of the Wesleyan Society." Dracup was a native of
Idle, but early in life removed to Great Horton, and in all
likelihood was the first Methodist in the then small village.
He was the leader of the first class formed in Great Horton,
and for many years previous to the erection of the school at
Todley, the services were held beneath his roof He died
in 1798, aged sixty-nine, and was of course buried in the
ground at Old Todley, but his remains were among those
removed to Hunt Yard, when the oak coffin in which he lay
was repolished by his son. Among the literary remains of
Nathaniel Dracup is a touching " Elegy " written by him on
the death of the celebrated Rev. Wm. Grimshaw, of Haworth,
to whom he was devotedlv attached.

212 Rambles Round Horton.

Nathaniel Dracup, described as a " shuttlemaker, Great
Horton," was a party to the deed of erection of the old
Octagon Chapel at Bradford in the year 1765, and he was one
of the society stewards, Bradford being at that early period
regarded as a branch of the Birstall circuit. He had a son
Nathaniel, also a son George, the father of Sammy Dracup,
who, with his sons, were noted shuttlemakers and makers of
jacquard engines when first introduced. The Dracups have
been devoted Wesleyans throughout their history.

From the first " catalogue of the societies " in connection
with the Bradford circuit, issued in 1781, we obtain the names
of the class leaders and local preachers at Great Horton at
that period, who were as follow: — John Murgatroyd, Nathaniel
Dracup, John Hodgson, Richard Fawcett, Thos. Dobson,
John Shutt, John Smith, James Wilkinson, John Haley,
Jonathan Hudson, and James Throp. Including Clayton
Heights and Brown royd, there were at that period 175
members in the Great Horton Society.

In the year 18 14, the old school at Todley becoming far
too small to contain the increasing society and congregation,
a new and spacious chapel (first called Hunt Yard Chapel),
holding about 500 persons, was erected. Such was the desire,
however, to occupy the new chapel, that service was held in it
some months before its actual completion, and on Easter
Tuesday, 1815, its formal opening took place, the Revs.
Robert Newton and James Everett preaching on the occasion.

The trust deed bears date May ist, 181 5, and is signed
by the following persons as trustees, viz. : — Nathaniel Dracup,
John Ramsden, Jonas Milnes, Eli Suddards, Joseph Wilkinson,
Roger Milnes, John Suddards, John Fawcett, James Brooks-
bank, Thomas Stocks, William Holdsworth, William Nettleton,
John Mason, George Dracup, Samuel Bentley, William Lee,
and Thomas Ramsden. In 1820 a commodious school-room
was erected on the chapel premises at a cost of £'}f)0. This
was subsequently enlarged. In 1830 the land, originally on
lease and subject to an annual rent of ^^"16, was converted into
freehold at an additional expense of ;^300, on which occasion
the trust deed of the whole premises was renewed. This
deed bears date November 17th, 1830. In 1834 the chapel

Rambles Round Hoy ton. 213

premises were rendered still more complete by the erection of
a preacher's house adjoining the chapel, its first occupant being
the Rev. Benjamin Pearce. Annexed to the chapel was the
burial-ground.

On the erection of the Church Sunday School at Horton
in 1808, under the auspices of the Rev. John Crosse, vicar of
Bradford, the Sabbath school which for many years had been
held by the Methodists in their ancient school and preaching-
room was transferred to the Church, and as a Methodist
school was not revived till twelve years afterwards. But for
this circumstance the Horton Wesleyan Sunday School might
have claimed the precedence of well nigh every other in the
West Riding. In 1842 the Great Horton circuit was formed
of places mostly taken from that of Bradford West. Since
that period the Great Horton Wesleyan Chapel has been
much enlarged, and, with its accessories, forms one of the
most valuable Conference properties in the county.

The memorial stone of the Wesleyan Day and Sunday
Schools was laid by Thomas Farmer, Esq., of Arthington
Hall, on the 30th day of August, 1859, and the schools were
opened in the year i860. The cost of the erection was about
^^3000, raised by subscriptions and a Government grant of
ii'ioso.

Many of the above particulars have been obtained from
the historical notices of Wesleyan Methodism by the Rc\'. W".
W. Stamp, which were compiled while that gentleman was
stationed at Great Horton during the years 1838-40. The
rev. gentleman may indeed be claimed as a Bradford man,
having been born here in 1801, while liis father, the Rev.
John Stamp, was stationed in Bradford. The Rev. W. W.
Stamp, was elected President of the Conference in i860, and
died in Liverpool in January, 1877.

The records of Methodism in Great Horton furnish many
examples of devotion to the societ}-, if space permitted us to
enlarge upon the topic. Thomas Peel is said to have been
the first subscriber to the new chapel at Hunt Yard. Nathan
Bentley, with his large family of sons, was also a prominent
figure, and the record, however incomplete, should contain the
names of Ramsden, Blamires, Dracup, Jennings, White,

214 Rambles Round Horton.

Myers, Shepherd, and Greenwood. In former times there
was a " warmth " in the services of which the present con-
gregation have httle experience. The elder members have
still a lively recollection of one " local," named James Carter,
whose deep and powerful voice was often heard exhorting the
people. Dick Throp had also one of the strongest voices in
the village, and used it vehemently. Willie Thornton, a
class leader, was nearly equal to him in lung power, and
was greatly gifted in devotion. Other equally prominent
Methodists were Job Robertshaw and W. Crabtree.

It was the custom in those days for Methodists to have
preaching service every Sunday morning at five o'clock.
James Carter, who was also a fine bugle player, would go an
hour before that time to different corners of the village, and
with some fine old psalm tune would arouse the people to early
morning service. The anniversary, or " sitting-up," was also a
great event. Financially, however, these occasions did not
compare well with the present day. If ^^25 was raised it
was thought a great sum ; but after the Disruption in 1850
the Reformers and the Old Body could each raise more than
treble that amount.

There being no Episcopalian church nearer to Great
Horton than Bradford or Thornton, a movement was started
for the erection of a church, and the Old Bell Chapel was
built in the year 1806, and consecrated on July ist, 1809, as
a chapel of ease to the Parish Church of Bradford. It was a
plain structure, without any attempt at architectural effect.
The original cost was ;(^I200, which was raised by subscrip-
tion, Mr. John Rand the elder being one of the principal
contributors. The communion plate was presented to the
chapel by Mrs. Lister, of Manningham. A record of the
original erection and subsequent addition is preserved in the
following inscriptions : —

This chapel of case, subjecl to the Parish Church of Bradford, was
built by subscription in the year of our Lord 1806. This clock put up

in 1808.

Joseph Beanland, John Blamires, Churchwardens.

This vestry built and chapel repaired by the town a.d. 1823.

Rev. J. C. BODDINGTON, Incumbent.
Joseph Gomersall, John Blamire.s, Churchwardens.

Rambles Round H or ton. 216

The site was taken from the waste land of Horton. The
perpetual curacy, first valued at ;^99 per annum, was
augmented in 1810 with ^200 of Queen Anne's Bounty, and
in 181 3, 1818, and 1821 with sums amounting to ^^"1800 in
Parliamentary grants. The Vicar of Bradford is the patron.
The first baptism was dated July 2, 1809, and was that of
William, son of James and Rebecca Bennett. Since that
date the number of baptisms has been 2785, and the burials
28 17, the first burial being that of John Fox, woolcomber,
aged sixty-three, who died July 25th, 1809.

The first incumbent appointed to the Old Bell Chapel
was the Rev. Samuel Redhead. Mr. Redhead was not
resident in Great Horton during his incumbency, but lived
at Fawcett Hill, Horton Road, in the house afterwards
occupied by Dr. Brown, where he kept a school described as
a classical academy. Mr. Redhead laboured very earnestly
in Horton till the year 1822, when the living of Haworth
was presented to him, but the people of that district would
not have him as their vicar, not from any personal dislike to
him, but because he had been presented by the Vicar of
Bradford. The strange scenes which were enacted in
Haworth Church during;: his initiation have been oft referred
to. After three weeks' possession of the living he resigned,
and was afterwards appointed to the living of Calverley,
havinsf shortlv before married Miss Rand, sister of Messrs.
John and William Rand. He died in August, 1845.

During the incumbency of Mr. Redhead there was
commenced the movement for the erection of the National
School, which was built by public subscription in the year
1808. The Sunday school up to this period had been con-
ducted in two cottages in Bartle Fold. This building also
stood upon the waste, and in front were placed a pair of
stocks, which were a terror to evil-doers.

The next incumbent after Mr. Redhead was the Rev.
J. C. Boddington, who was curate of the Parish Church of
Bradford at the time of his appointment, but came from
Leamington. Mr. Boddington was well fitted for the position
to which he was appointed, not only as an able minister of
the gospel, but also as having considerable skill in medicine.

216 Rambles Round Horton.

In his labours at Great Horton he was the means of doing
great good both spiritually and bodily. He was an able
pulpit speaker, a good classical scholar, and had considerable
acquaintance with natural philosophy.

Although the stipend was small, the respected incumbent
wanted not for means, assistance being tendered him by
others. He was the only man in Great Horton who was
vouchsafed the title of " Mr." Mr. Boddington was obliged
to resign the living at Horton owing to ill-health, and went to
reside at Cheltenham, where he died in 185 i. His assistant,
Dave Hartley, by frequently accompanying the rev. gentleman
on his visits to the sick, also acquired a knowledge of physic,
and kept up the " practice."

The Rev. John Harrison was appointed incumbent on
the resignation of Mr. Boddington, and laboured in Horton
till the year i860. During his incumbency a movement was
started for the erection of new schools, the Old Bell School
being too small for the number of children who wished to
attend. A committee was appointed for the purpose of
collecting subscriptions for the erection of the schools, which
were commenced in the summer of 1859, ^1^^ memorial stone
being laid on Saturday, December 3rd, 1859, t)y Mr. F. S.
Powell. The schools were opened in November, i860, when
the occasion formed a " red-letter day " in Horton ; no fewer
than 1200 persons sat down at the tea party in connection
with the event. The site occupied by the schools was
conveyed to Mr. Henry Mason on behalf of the trustees b}'
Mrs. Charnock, of Halifax, Mr. Thomas Horsfall, of Burley
Hall, and others. It previously formed part of closes of land
called the Middle Field, Clover Field, and Green Field, and
contained about 4851 square yards. It was subsequently
conveyed by Mr. Henry Mason to the Archdeacon of Craven
for the sum of ;i6^363 16s. 6d.

The premises were opened as a day-school in 1861,
Mr. Dovey being the first master, and Miss Armitage
the first mistress. The present master is Mr. Robt.
VVaite, under whom the schools hav^e flourished for many
years. The Old J3cll Chapel lias been converted into an
infant school.

Rambles Round Morton. 21'*^

The Rev. J. Harrison married a sister of Sir Wm. Wright,
of Hull, formerly of Bradford, and exchanged livings with the
Rev. G. M. Webb, vicar of Aughton, in the East Riding, in
April, i860.

During Mr. Webb's incumbency the new church of
St. John the Evangelist was erected, and also the present
vicarage, a site for the latter being begged by Mr. Webb, who
also solicited all the money required for its erection. As a
safe foundation for a steeple could not be found, in con-
sequence of the ground being undermined, Lhe Old Bell
Chapel site was abandoned, and the new church erected on
the brow of the hill overlooking the Thornton Valley, upon a
plot of ground given by Mr. F. S. Powell. The foundation
stone of the new edifice was laid on Easter Tuesday, 1871, by
the late Mr. John Rand, and the consecration took place on
March 9th, 1874.

The cost of the new church was ^"7000, exclusive of the
tower, the erection of which was deferred for a time.
Towards this large amount handsome contributions were
given as follow : — William Rand, ^^1350 (in addition to
oak pulpit, reading-desk, font, and communion plate) ;
Francis S. Powell, ;^iioo (and site); Henry Mason, ;^500 ;
J. J. Broadbent, ^^500 ; George Turner, £500 ; &c. The
church is of large proportions, in Early Gothic, and was
designed by Messrs. Healey, of l^radford. The tower and
spire were added during last year, at a cost of ^1800, towards
Avhich donations of iS^SOO each were given by Messrs, George
Turner, J. J. Broadbent, and F. S. Powell. Mr. Webb's
labours in connection with Horton Church and Schools will
not soon be forgotten. After a residence in Horton of fifteen
years, he exchanged livings with the Rev. W. T. Storrs, vicar
of Heckmondwike, in April, 1875. Mr. Storrs was a physician
as well as clergyman, and worked hard during his short stay
in Horton. The present vicar is the Rev. James Gallic, M.A.,
formerly of St. Luke's, Bradford.

We are debarred from indulging in the many reminis-
cences which are interwoven with the history of the Old Bell
Chapel, Although possessing no savour of antiquity, still
that history covers the lifetime of the oldest inhabitants of

218 Rambles Round Norton.

Great Horton with a few exceptions, and many there are who
have something to tell of its former incumbents or worshippers.
We must be content with stating that Joseph Beanland, of
Beckside, was the first churchwarden at Bell Chapel. Mr.
James Walmsley was clerk of the chapel for twenty-six years,
during the incumbencies of the Rev. Mr. Redhead and the
Rev. Mr. Boddington. Joseph Lofthouse, who died in 1837,
had been sexton since its erection in 1806. Nathaniel
Dracup, a former bass singer at Bell Chapel, may be named
as representing the choir. Among the earnest workers
connected with the old Bell Sunday School were Henry
Mason, Edward Cockerham, George Beanland, Richard
Haley, whose labours have left impressions which will never
be forgotten.

Of the early schoolmasters at the Old School, we have
record of one named Sutton, who was succeeded by Tom
Hirst, generally called " Hunting Tom," the secretary of the
Bradford Coursing Club, and for many years steward to the
Rev. Godfrey Wright. Then there was Ben Hartley, and next
George Laycock. The latter had a great name in Horton.
He was the son of Lazarus Laycock, chapelkeeper of the
Moravian Chapel in Paternoster Fold, and had previously
received his training at the Fulneck establishment.

The Paternoster Fold Moravian Chapel was established
in August, 1742, the first year that the pioneers of the United
Brethren came into Yorkshire, and it continued to be occupied
by the Moravians till after the erection of the present chapel
in Little Horton Lane, the foundation stone of which was
laid on May 15th, 1838, and it was opened December 28th
the same year.

The Old Chapel must have been built long before it was
occupied by the Moravians. At the time it was first occupied
by them there was not a building to break the view all the
way to Bradford. In front of the chapel and the adjoining
houses there used to be four large ash trees, and when the
weather was fine the Moravians often held their meetings
outside under the .shade of the trees. Lazarus Laycock was
chapel-keeper at Morton above twenty years ; he died April
24th, 1837. The Horton Chapel was soon after deserted, and

Rambles Round Horton. 219

the chapel made into a cottage dwelling, which was occupied
by George Laycock and his two sisters.

The introduction of Primitive Methodism to Great
Horton may be ascribed to the Rev. John Coulson, of Leeds,
who in May, 1821, visited Great Horton as a Primitive
Methodist missionary. During the summer months meetings
were held in the open air, but very soon a barn-house at
Upper Green was hired for religious services, and a society
was formed consisting of eleven members. This barn-house
not being very comfortable, the little church rejoiced exceed-
ingly when they subsequently had secured the upper room of
a cottage in Southfield Lane.

In 1824, when their numbers had increased to forty
members, it was decided to purchase the plot of land at Town
t^nd, on which the chapel now stands, with burial ground in
front. The foundation-stone was laid on Saturday, the 22nd
January, 1825, the collection made at the stone-laying
amounting to ^^3 4s. 4^d. This was a very feeble com-
mencement ; but the society consisted of very poor members,
and what they were short in money they made up by labour,
for all the excavating work was done without cost to the
society.

The total cost of the new chapel was ;^ 803 lis. 2d., the
income £11^ 18s. 6^d., leaving a debt of ^^685 12s. 7 ^^d.
The persons who became responsible for the debt and who
were made trustees, were John Waugh, Thomas Haigh,
George Broadbent, Thomas Cockroft, James Hanson, Timothy
Bartle, Edward Rawnsley, Daniel Holroyd, John Peel,
Benjamin Beanland, Joseph Northrop, William Greaves, and
Thomas Bartle.

The following extracts from the deed of conveyance,
which was made the 21st day of May, 1825, will show with
what care the trusts were guarded against loss : —

That if at any time it shall happen that the toleration allowing
Protestant Dissenters to assemble together for worship shall be taken
away, then the said chapel shall be sold.

That the proceeds of the said sale shall be placed out at interest,
and the amount thereof paid annually to the poor belonging to said
society living within two miles thereof.

220 Rambles Roimd Norton.

That if at any time after such sale the Protestant Dissenters, called
Primitive Methodists, shall be again tolerated by the laws of this realm,
then the principal of such investment shall be called in, and the amount
expended in erecting another building for the purposes of original chapel,
&c.

These early Primitive Methodists, or "Ranters," as they
were called, owing to their extraordinary zeal, would
frequently walk to Leeds and back on a Sunday to hear a
travelling preacher or to be present at a camp meeting.
At that day they were distinguished, the women by their
plainness of dress and large Leghorn bonnets, and the men
by their knee-breeches and stand-collar, fish-bellied coats.
Indeed, it was considered a sad conformity to the world
and very heterodox when men belonging to the body of
Primitive Methodists began to wear what were called " long-
sleeved breeches." When it was decided to build, trade
was flourishing in Great Horton, but before the village had
been canvassed for subscriptions the Weavers' Union struck
for an advance of wages, a great number of people were
thrown out of employment, and never had the chance of
further work in that branch of business. Many had to
change their occupation or emigrate, which circumstance
fell hard upon the chapel funds. In 1840 a new trust was
formed, and subsequently, by means of a bazaar, subscrip-
tions, and collections, the debt was reduced to £600.

In 1 85 1 a plot of land behind the chapel at Town End
was purchased at a cost of £()2 5s. iid., but it was not till
1 86 1 that a new school was built upon it at a cost of i^553,
which was cleared from debt in 1863. Further enlargements
took place in 1865, and again in 1868, at a cost of i^iioo.
In March, 1864, the surviving trustees of the deed of 1840
sought to be relieved, and the trusts of the chapel and school
were conveyed to Joseph Wilson, Geo. Frankland, Joseph
Crabtree, Daniel Pollard, Cephas J. Wilson, Skirrow Peanland,
Thos. Petty, Joseph Rhodes, Joseph Pickles, Charles Whitaker,
all members of society, with David Bartle continuing
trustee.

The new trustees then decided to enlarge the chapel and
"pew" the bottom, which was done in 1865 at a cost of

Rambles Rottnd Norton. 221

i^ioSo. Subsequently i^350 was spent upon a new organ.
In 1868 a branch school was formed at Jer Lane, and on the
25th June, 1871, the wood school chapel, at Horton Bank,
which had been erected at a cost of £6\J, was opened. On
February 4, 1883, another branch school chapel was opened
at Dirkhill, near Horton Park Station, the total cost of which
was ;^1300.

Wesley Place Chapel was erected in 185 1, being the
outcome of the Methodist disruption which took place in
1850. The foundation-stone was laid on Shrove Tuesday,
and the chapel was opened for worship on the morning of
Whit-Sunday of that year. So vigorous was the movement
of Wesleyan reform in Great Horton at that time that the
chapel had to be enlarged in 1852, and was made to seat 850
persons. The total cost of the original premises and enlarge-
ment was ;^2523.

During the ten years from 1851 to 1861 the congregation
formed part of the Great Horton District of Wesleyan
Reformers, the ecclesiastical constitution of which was
essentially Congregational Independency. This system was,
however, too far in advance of Wesleyan ism to be at once
easily adopted by many of those who had been trained under
the latter system, and the result was that, whilst a large
portion gradually became familiarised with the working of
Independency, and desired to see it consistently carried out
and distinctly avowed, others clung to old traditions with a
tenacity which hindered the entirely harmonious co-operation
which was desirable. Almost instinctively adopting Con-
gregational principles of church order, and feeling that the
movement had passed out of the Wesleyan reform stage, the
Great Horton congregation proposed that the circuit should
adopt the name " Congregational Methodists." The proposal
did not meet the approval of the other congregations, and in
1 86 1 the Great Horton congregation found itself alone, some
of the others having become affiliated with already established
sections of Methodists, and the rest retaining their original
designation. Naturally the isolation thus brought about drew
the Great Horton church towards the Congregationalists.
with whom they are now allied.

222 Rambles Round Horton. *

The Congregational schools in connection with the above
chapel were built in 1868. The memorial-stone was laid by
Mr. Edward Baines, of Leeds, on June 2nd, 1868, and the
total cost of the building, including the cost of the site and
furnishing, amounted to £7254 17s. ii^d. A subscription
list was opened to defray the cost, and was very liberally
responded to ; and what was thought at the time to be a
final effort to clear off the debt on the building was made by
the opening of a Fine Arts and Industrial Exhibition, under
distinguished patronage, on Wednesday, August 17th, 1870,
by the late Lord Frederick Cavendish. This exhibition
remained open until November 30th, 1870, during which time
it was visited by 71,495 persons, including season-ticket
holders, and realised a sum of i^i888.

What is called the " Iron Church " was erected in the
autumn of 1871, and the opening services were held on the
9th day of November of that year. The church adopts Con-
gregational principles, and seceded from Wesley Place Chapel
before the decision in the " Great Horton Chapel Case," a suit
at law which created considerable feeling in the neighbourhood
at one time.

The " Jumpers " of Horton, as they were called on account
of their fantastic manner of conducting their religious services,
located themselves in a large room in Bartle Fold in the
spring of 1837, and were led by a Mr. Benjamin Deighton,
from Little Horton. They, however, made little progress,
and eventually gave up the premises.

Rambles Roimd Horton. 228

CHAPTER XX.

Social features of Great Horton — Working Men's Radical Association — the Democratic
Institute — Liberal Club— Mechanics' Institute — Horton Old Rand — Great Horton
Industrial Society — the Ashton Dole — Horton Octogenarians — Conclusion.

The miscellaneous jottings with which we must conclude
this series of " rambles round the townships " mostly refer to
Great Horton, where, in a far higher degree than is the case
in the adjoining hamlet, the characteristics and institutions of
a village community are found. Indeed, it would be more
proper to speak of Little florton as a district than as the
name given to a community. Latterly, by the great increase
of population, that district has almost completely lost its
individuality, and has become absorbed in the town of
Bradford.

In the spring of 1837 thirty or forty young men regularly
assembled at a building at Low Green, where they were
taught without charge the rudiments of education by Mr.
Jude Yates. Notwithstanding their defective knowledge the
majority were possessed of political notions, and not a few
were enamoured of the philosophical speculations of Paine.
The result of this gathering was the formation of the Working
Men's Radical Association. The society had a vigorous
existence, being visited at times by Feargus O'Connor, Henry
Vincent, John Cleaver, and other pronounced Radicals, such as
Peter Bussey, Squire F'arrar, John Jackson, Chris. 'VVilkin.son,&c.
The Chartist agitation already alluded to upset the arrange-
ments of the association, but the effect of the training
thus received was not lost. In the year 1842, after a revision
of the rules of the Mechanics' Institute, a number of members
became disaffected in consequence of the prohibition of the
discussion of political subjects in the Institute, and a new.
institution called the " Democratic Institute " was formed in
a house al Upper Green, which combined the discussion of
political and religious questions in addition to the subjects
usually comprised withifi the compass of the Mechanics'
Institute, This society had a prosperous existence for many

224 Rambles Round Norton.

years, and continued till 1869, when its effects were sold or
distributed amongst the members. There is no doubt that
the above associations exerted a great influence in educating
the inhabitants in those advanced Liberal principles for which
the Great Horton Ward is distinguished.

The present Great Horton Liberal Club was established
in February, 1871. For three years a cottage in High Street
was used as a place of meeting. Subsequently a limited
liability company was formed for the erection of a club house,
which was opened on March 20, 1876. The building is lofty
and commodious, and was erected at a cost of .;^2O0O,
exclusive of the site. A Conservative Club has also been
recently established in High Street.

In the latter end of March, 1839, four persons, viz.,
Messrs. John Wood, Chas. Topham, George Sunderland, and
Ephraim Watmough, remained after the close of the night
school then conducted by Mr. Wood in the Church school,
usually called the Bell school, to consider the propriety of
forming a Mechanics' Institute in Great Horton, and an
engagement was entered into by those present to bear the
cost of convening a public meeting for that purpose. A
placard was issued on April 23rd, 1839, in the Church School-
room, and a meeting was held, Mr. John Wood, schoolmaster,
in the chair, when it was resolved — " That an institution be
immediately formed to be called the Horton Mechanics'
Institute, or Society for the Acquisition of Useful Knowledge."
Twenty-four members were enrolled at the meeting, and the
society continued in existence for about thirty years, when the
library and effects were sold to liquidate its debts. Among
the early workers in the movement were Mr. Peter Fox and
the late George Lay cock.

Long ago Great Horton was famous for its band of
instrumentalists, a revival of which has been set afoot within
recent years. The name of the earlier society was the Horton
Old Band, its meeting place being Pickles Hill Top. As it
may be interesting to learn the composition of this famous
band, we append the names of the players in the year 1820,
and the instruments they used, viz. : — Leader, Pklward
Topham, who played the clarionet ; 2, Isaac Rawnsley^

Rambles Round Norton. 225

clarionet ; 3, Richard Swaine, do. ; 4, John llartlc)', do. ;
5, William Swaine, serpent ; 6, Jos. Blamires, do. ; 7, Eli
Dracup, do.; 8, Levi Holgate, trumpet; 9, Jonathan Wardman,
trombone ; 10, John Holdsworth, do. ; 11, George Hardcastle,
do.; 12, James Carter, bugle; 13, Richard Haley, do.; 14^
Chas. Wardman, French horn; 15, William Parker, flute;
16, Abraham Jowett, bugle; 17, Matthew Wood, bassoon;
18, Edward Flather, triangle; 19, Henry Hindle, drummer.
All the above are dead, and the Horton Old Band has long
since become defunct.

The Horton Old Choral Society was also an institution
of some note and influence in its day, of which Mr. Ed.
Bartle was the leader. At Beldon Hill and the uplands of
Horton the custom of " Christmas singing" is kept up as in
the olden time, a band of vocalists and instrumentalists
turning out in all weathers to herald Christmas morning.

Great Horton boasts a musical composer of no mean
order in the person of Mr. Wm. Hollingworth, whose father
and grandfather were also musicians, the latter being choir-
master at Horton Lane Chapel in old John Skelton's
days. Mr, Hollingworth has composed many instrumental
works, glees, part songs, chants, anthems, and fantasias for
brass bands, one of his glees, " Here's life and health to
England's Queen," having gone through six editions.

We might have some difficulty in offering statistical
confirmation of the fact, but there are grounds for the
assertion that a greater amount of thriftiness and husbanded
resources exist at Horton than in any other township of the
borough in proportion to population. The people, being of a
saving turn, naturally adopted the co-operative principle of
trading during its early introduction into these parts. The
initiatory step was taken at a meeting held at Hew Clews
Bottom in the year 1859, the following fourteen working-men
being present, namely : — Aaron Shepherd, Rei Riley, George
Lofthouse, Alfred Shepherd, Samuel Watmough, John Preston,
Harry Topham, John Priestley, John Shepherd, Ellice Atack,
Matthew Shepherd, Wm. Shackleton, Wm. Fox, with George
Laycock, the latter being secretary. A quantity of flour,
groceries, &c., was bought wholesale, and retailed to the

226 Rambles Round Norton.

fourteen members in the rooms of the Democratic Institute in
High Street; Samuel Watmough, one of the number, being
appointed to act as salesman.

That was the beginning of the present Great Horton
Industrial Society, Limited, which grew to such an extent
that the club-room was soon too small, and a shop just below
the Institute was taken, and opened, first only at night,
afterwards all day. Even this building was soon found
altogether inadequate for the business of the society, and a
movement was started which resulted in the erection of
the present handsome stores in the year 1861, the site of
which (including some old cottages) was purchased from
Samuel Suddards, of Tong, for £\ioo. The society has six
branches in addition to the central stores, and about 1500
members. Its capital amounts to i^i 7,332, and since the
year 1863, when the society was enrolled, its turnover has
amounted to over half a million of money, out of which it has
divided in profits amongst the members over ^40,000.

What is known as the " Ashton Dole " is a charity, the
proceeds of which are derived from property left under the
will of John Ashton in 17 12, to be distributed half-yearly
among poor people of Horton above sixty years of age who
are not in receipt of parish relief The property originally
comprised three cottages, a barn, and several closes of land in
Horton, let to Jas Gomersall for ^30 per annum ; a black-
smith's shop, let to Jabez Balmforth and afterwards to John
Garthwaite for £'/ a year ; a farm called Solitary, with about
nine acres of land, let to George Briggs and Daniel Dracup at
£,\6 3. year. In 1813 the trust was vested in Joseph Barrans
as surviving trustee. In 1826 Mr. Barrans invested the
charity estate in Joseph Cousen, Thos. Booth, Thos. Ackroyd,
and John Bilton as joint trustees. In 1881, however, the
trust property was sold, and the proceeds invested in consols,
which now realise for the benefit of the poor about £^0 per
annum. For a period of about ten years, the dole was
distributed by Mr. John Wade. The present trustees are
Messrs. James Cousen, Henry Bentley, James Dixon, jun.,
and Henry Cockerham. John Ashton, the founder of the
dole, would in modern phraseology be termed a " miser,"

Rambles Round Horton. 227

but he made amends for his peculiarities by benefactions
at his death. From an inventory of his household goods and
chattels it appears that he had accumulated a large quantity
of old silver coin, which sold for 5s. id. per ounce, and
realised the sum of .^^^147 3s.

Mr. John James gives in his " Histor}' of Bradford " a list
of twenty-two persons all over ninety years of age who died
in Horton between the years 1844 and 1863. They were as
follow : — Daniel Nelson, Cross Lane ; Elizh. Stead, Clayton
Lane ; John Milner, Cousen's Mill ; John Haley, Paradise ;
Hannah Lofthouse, Horton Road ; John Riley, Paternoster
Lane ; Jon. Briggs, Low Green ; Mary Whitaker, Cordingley
Fold ; Elizabeth Emsley, Mill Lane ; Jas. Lister, Cobden
Street ; Hannah Jowett, Old Road ; Jonathan Tommis,
Southfield Lane ; Martha Greaves, Little Horton ; Michael
Craighton, Grafton Street, 95 (had children under twelve years
of age when he died) ; Ann Hargreaves, Clayton Lane ;
Hannah Hanson, Dog Lane ; Nancy Thewlis, Town End ;
Hannah Emsley, Harrington Street ; Hannah Hartley,
Villiers Street ; John Gallagher, Duncan Street ; John Wood,
Workhouse ; and Hannah Dewhirst, Beckside Road. To this
list may be added the names of other Hortonians who have
attained over ninety years of age, among them being three
members of the Swaine family. James Swaine, of Bank
Bottom, who died in 1820, followed the plough in his
ninety-fifth year. It is said that a Mrs. Shepherd died at
Hew Clews in her 102nd year. Joseph Wardman lived to
91 years ; Thomas Priestley, Upper Green, 90 ; Rebecca
Topham, 93 ; James Boocock, Great Horton, 97 ; John
Wilkinson, 92 ; Joseph Greaves, Great Horton, 95. James
Clough, of Little Horton, died in 1871, at 90 years of
age ; and Jonathan Bairstow, of Lidget Green, in 1885, aged
91. John Topham, of Cliffe Lane, died at over 90 years of
age during the same year. He was the son of Moses Topham,
and was one of nine children, of whom two died young, the
ages of those surviving being respectively 90, 88, 86, 84, So,
75, and 74 years.

The annals of the graveyards at the old Bell Chapel and
the Wesleyan Chapel at Horton contain reference to many

228 Rambles Round Horton.

Hortonians of the present century who reached four-score
years and over. From them the following list has been
compiled, viz. : — Mary Blagborough, 80 ; Dan Haley, 80 ;
Sarah Haley, 81 ; John Schofield, 83 ; Squire Lofthouse
(first sexton at Bell Chapel), 82 ; Sarah Blagborough, 86 ;
Mary Greenwood, 84 ; Jane Hillam, 84 ; Mary Haley, 84 ;
John Wright, 81 ; William Holdsworth, 85 ; Jonathan
Holdsworth, ^'^^ ; Hannah Bennett, Bracken Hill, 88 ; David
Armitage, '^}^. On a tombstone marking the resting-place of
Sarah and Joseph Wardman there is an inscription entitling
the aged couple to the Dunmow flitch —

This aged pair interred here,

In wedlock sixty-seven year,

Who ne'er knew either brawl or strife,

A happy husband, loving wife.

Sarah died at 85 ; Joseph, her husband, reached 91 years ;
Margaret Hallewell, "^6 ; Joseph Holdsworth, 81 ; Ann
Holdsworth, 87 ; Jeremy Haley, 81 ; Grace Haley, 81 ;
Martha Fox, 81 ; Ben Shackleton, 82 ; John Littlev/ood, 81 ;
Sarah Littlewood, 83 ; Joseph Bottomley, 80 ; Sarah Dracup,
80 ; Roger Milnes, 87 ; Squire Knowles, '^6 ; Sally Knowles,
86 ; John Hanson, 84 ; Mark Barraclough, '^6 ; Mary Black-
burn, 84 ; John Hudson, 82 ; Mary Hummel, 85 ; John Smith,
84; Susan Harland, 82 ; John Kellet, 82 ; Isaac Wade, 80 ;
Mary Bennett, 84 ; Nancy Wardman, 80 ; John Shackleton,
80; Stephen Hartley, 83; David Topham, 88; Aaron Topham,
86 ; Samuel Peel, 83 ; David Shepherd, 82 ; Ann Carter, '^6 ;
Abram Bentley, 81 ; Ann Bentley, 81 ; Sally Roper, 84;
Henry Dewhirst, 80 ; Jonathan Jowett, 85 ; John Bakes, 80 ;
Sarah Binns, 83 ; Mary Edmondson, 83 ; Prudence Hartley,
84 ; Jonas Fox, 83 ; Stephen Farrand, 84 ; Timothy Jennings,

84 ; Eli Suddards, 86 ; Elizabeth Suddards, 80 ; Hannah
Suddards, 87 ; Mary Cliff, ^6 ; Jonas Priestley, 88 ; Mary,
wife of Joseph Swaine, 83 ; Jonas Jowett, of Beldon Hill, 81 ;
Jonas Jowett, 82 ; Peter Butterfield, 80 ; Joshua Ormondroyd,

85 ; David Crossley, 88 ; John Ormondroyd, 81 ; Joseph
Wood, 83; Betty Emsley, 82; Sarah Dracup, 81; Betty
Barraclough, 80 ; Mary Shackleton, 80 ; Alice Smith, ^"j ;

Rambles Round Hoy ton. 229

Joshua Milnes, 80 ; Joseph Wood, 82 ; Sarah SutcHffe, 88 ;
Timothy Jennings, 85 ; Ann Jowett, in her 90th year ;
Eliza Holdsworth, 83, Thomas Hudson, "^J ; Mary Greaves,
83 ; Hannah Armitage, of Beldon Hill, in her 84th year.
Mary Wade, Blacksmith Fold, aged 82 ; John Holroyd, a
Waterloo veteran, aged 82 ; Joshua Jowett, Stephenson
Fold, aged '^6 ; Mary Verity, Knight's Fold, 89 ; Susey
Boyes, Bartle Fold, '^J. The above list, although monotonous
to the unappreciative reader, bears ample testimony to the
healthiness of Horton, taken in conjunction with the relation
which frugal and temperate living has upon the vital ststistics
of a community.

The branch of the Great Northern line of railway from
Bradford to Thornton was opened for traffic to Great Horton
on October 14, 1878.

The following record of the population, taken at each
decade, shows the rate of progress of the Horton township
during the present century as follows : — Census of 1801, 3459;
1811,4423; 1821,7192; 1831,10,782; 1841, 17,615; 1851,
28,143; 1861,30,187; 1871,40,722; 1881,46,030.

APPENDIX.

20 Jan.,
1642. WILL of JOHN LISTER, of Ovenden, Yeoman.

Gives to Daniel Lister, his son, and his heirs, all lands in
Northowram which he had purchased of Jeremy Holdesworth, and one
messuage and lands, &c., in Shelf, in occupation of James Wallis.
Messuage, tenement, &c., and all lands belonging in Ovenden, which
he had purchased of Gilbert Deane, Caleb Kempe, and ]\Ioses Jenkins.
Also, all that messuage and lands, &c., in Horton, in Bradford dale,
in tenure of Andrew Shyers. Remainder to Joseph Lister, his
(testator's) son, and his heirs and assigns.

Gives to said son, Joseph Lister, four messuages, tenements, and
three cottages, and all the lands, &c., belonging, in Ovenden, which he
had bought of John Weddall, merchant, and Mary, his wife. Also, a
messuage and tenement in Clayton, in Bradford dale, in tenure of
John Lun. Remainder to aforesaid Daniel Lister.

Gives to said Daniel and Joseph Lister, his sons, six acres
of land and buildings thereon, in North Bierley, which he and a
certain Matthew Houldsworth purchased of a certain John Nettleton
and Richard Nettleton, in moieties, with remainders to either brother.

John Lister, the testator's son, and heir apparent, not 21 years
of age.

Gives two messuages and lands, in Wibsey and North Bierley,
to Susan, his wife. Reversion thereof to Daniel and Joseph Lister,
his sons.

Leaves Legacies to his Sisters Elizabeth, Grace, and Martha,
and to his Brother, Joseph Lister.

To his Father and Mother a pair of gloves a piece.

Susan, his wife, executrix and residuary legatee.

Witnesses— James Foxcroft.
E. Hanson.

Proved ist October, 1644, by Susan, the widow, to whom
was committed the guardianship of Daniel and Joseph Lister, her
" iinpubes JiliosP

Mr. Francis Sharp Powell was elected Member of ParHament
for Wigan at the General Election in November, 1S85.

GLOSSARY.

WORDS AND PHRASES IN USE AT GREAT HORTON.

cutting a great

Abaght — about.

Aboon — above.

Addle — to work for wages.

Afore — before.

Agate (" Ger agate")— to do some

thing.
Ageean — again.
Ahr ta bahn - -are you going.
Aht— out.
Akin — related to.
All shirt-neck

figure out of nothing
Ashelt — likely or probable.
Ass-neuk — under the fire grate.
Awf~half.
Awkert (Awkward) — queer and

comical.
Awl — all.
Awlus — always.
Awner — owner.
Axt — asked.
Az — as

Bacca — tobacco.

Backart — backward.

Badger — a grocer.

Baght — without.

Balderdash — talking without sense.

Bang — to beat, to throw down.

Barn — a child.

Batin' time — time for refreshment.

Bawk — to disappoint.

Beck'n— to call with the fingers.

Becoss — because.

licest — first milk after calving.

Behunt — signifying behind.

Bein' — being.

Belesses — bellows.

Belling — making a loud noise.

Bench — a seat.

Benjey — a straw hat.

Bezzler — a drunken fellow.

Blackish — inclining to black.

Blain — a boil.

Blame it — an exclamation of dis-
appointment.

Blatter — of which pancakes are
made.

Bleb — a blister.

Blendit — mixed.

Blegs — blackberries.

Blurred- blotted.

Bocken — to loath.

Boggard — a subject for scare.

Bolt- -to run away.

Bonny — beautiful.

Bonkful — filled up.

Booze — to drink.

Booath — both.

Bowd — bold.

Brag — to boast.

Bray — to hammer.

Bray'd — to be thrashed.

Brat — a pinafore ; a child.

Brass — money.

Brazzen — bold, shameless.

Breikfast — the first meal.

Breeter — brighter.

Breyk — to break.

Brig — a bridge.

Brigs — used to put upon the fire in
cookinc

Britches-

ISroiched — introducing a subject.

Brokken — broken.

Bruarts — the brim of a hat.

Brussen — over-full.

Buckstick -a smart young fellow.

Bugth — great size.

Bump — a knock

Bup — addressed to a child to
drink.

Burly — thick, clumsy.

Butty — joint partnership ; a mate ;
word used by bo\s.

Buzzard — a moth or butterfly.

By t' mess — an exclamation of
surprise or disgust.

-trousers.

•234

Glossary.

Cackle — to talk loud and foolishly.

Cadeing-

-begging.

cat.

Canker'd — rusty.

Cant — vigorous, healthy.

Can't feshun — shamefaced,

Capp't — astonished.

Carl — to thrash ; a clown.

Catterwauling — to imitate a

Cawf — a calf.

Cawf-heead — a disparaging remark.

Chap — a sweetheart.

Chary — reluctant, cautious.

Childer — children.

Chimley — chimney.

Chock-full — filled to the top.

Chomping — chewing.

Chonce — chance.

Chumps — wood for Gunpowder

Plot fire.
Clahd — cloud.
Claggy — thick, sticky.
Clammy — greasy.
Clatter — noise.
Clegged — dry in the mouth.
Cletch — a brood of chickens.
Clink — to shake up.
Cloise — warm, sultry ; a close or

field.
Clotted — sticking together.
Clutter — all in a heap.
Cocker — fair play.
Collops — slices of bacon.
Copp't — caught.
Cowd — cold.
Cowk — a cinder
Craan — crown.
Craps — rendered fat.
Crash — to break with noise.
Cratch — an arm chair.
Cronk — to sit low down.
Crony — a boon companion.
Crumple — to disarrange.
Cubbert — cupboard.
Cuddn't — could not.
Cuzzen — cousin.

Daahn — down.

Dab — a blow.

Daddle — to reel.

Dahn — down.

Daft — witless.

Darn— to mend a hole in a stocking.

Dauntle — to fondle.

Deeing — dying.

Deeath — death.

Ding — to strike.

Dingle — to make a noise.

Dish-claat — cloth for washing

dishes.
Dither — to tremble.
Doady — a stupid person.
Dock — to cut off.
Dofft — undressed.
Dowter — daughter.
Donn'd — dressed up.
Donk — a pot marble.
Doy — term of endearment.
Doytches — ditches.
Dree — dry, tedious.
Drizzle — to rain softly.
Dub — a hole ; a door.
Dubbler — a large dish.
Dungon — knocked.
Dursn't — dare not.

Ealt — ailing.

Eaving — the eaves of a house.

Eawner — owner.

Eawt — out.

Eawther — either.

Eawer — an hour.

Een — eyes.

Elliker — vinegar.

Etten — eaten.

Eyt — eat.

Fadge — a bundle.

Fagged — tired.

Fawt — fault.

Fell-aht — to finish a warp ; also to

disagree.
Fellah — fellow ; a husband.
Fend — to stir about.
Fettle— to clean up.
Fib — an untruth.
Flash — fine, showy.
Flay- craw — an unsightly object.
Flayed — frightened.
Flecked — unevenly spread.
Flegs — a causeway.
Flick — a side of bacon.
Flittin' — to remove.
Flunter — in great haste.
Flusk— to fly at.
Foisty — stinking.
Fowd — fold.
Fowk — folk.
Fra' — from.

Fratch — to quarrel with.
Freeten — to frighten

Glossary.

235

Fussock — a term of reproach ; also

a donkey.
Fusty — to smell bad.

Gad abaht — to gossip.

Gape — to yawn.

Gape-seed — to stare about.

Gate — way.

Gaters (Goin' gaters) — accompany-
ing part of the way.

Gawby — a dunce.

Gawmless — stupid, senseless.

Gavelock — an iron crowbar.

Gerse — grass.

Gern — to look savage.

Giggle— to laugh sillily.

Ginnel — a narrow passage.

Gipp — to vomit.

Girds — sick fits.

Gleys — to squint.

Gleyd — an evil-tempered person.

Glent — a sly look.

Glopp't — suddenly frightened.

Gobble — to swallow without
chewing

Gooid — good.

Gooid for nowt — a worthless fellow.

Gooms — gums.

Gradely — handsomely.

Gripping — clasped or clinching.

Gronny — grandmother.

Hahsumiver — howsoever.
Hahse-praad— proud of home.
H appen — perhaps.
Han' claat — towel.
Haver-breead — oatbread.
Hawve — half.
Hawpenny — halfpenny.
Heft — handle of a knife.
Heigh-flown— high notions.
Heusings — edge of slates on house.
Hippins — napkins for infants.
Hook or Crook — by one means or

another.
Howd — to hold.
Hug — to carry.
Hugger-mugger — secret ways.
Hursen — herself.

Inklin' — a slight knowledge.
In a pickle — in trouble.
I'm dahn on't — no faith in it.
Ittha — hear thou.
Ivver — ever.

Jackanapes — a term of derision.

Jannock — fair play.

Jawms — the supports of a door or
mantel-piece.

Jerry-berrin' — a previous expe-
rience.

Jock — food.

Jossled — crushed, knocked abcut.

Jowled— to be run against.

Juggled — swindled.

Kah — cow.

Kahcummer^cucumber.
Kallin' — gossiping.
Keel— to cool.
Kersnin' — christening.
Kersmas — Christmas.
Kester— abbreviation for

Christopher.
Kesting — casting off.
Kink — to lose the breath with

coughing.
Kink-cough — whooping cough.
Kist — a chest.

Kit — a vessel to carry water.
Kittle — ticklish ; liable to be

upset.
Kittlin' — a kitten.
Knodden — kneaded.
Koil — coal.
Kuss — a kiss.

Lackey — a servant.

Laith — a barn.

Laking — playing.

Lap — to wrap up ; to drink.

Leather-heead — a term of reproach.

Leet — light.

Leet-on — to get a sweetheart.

Lick — to beat.

Lig — to lie.

Limp — to halt.

Lippen — to expect.

Living tally — unmarried.

Loft — a chamber.

Loich — straight.

Loizins — losses.

Lug — to pull by the hair.

Lumber — household rubbish.

Maalack — a disturbance.
Maddled — stupefied.
Map cloth — floor cloth.
Maunder — to murmur.
Mawky — proud.

•236

Glossary

-to get into a mess.

Mali — to meddle with.

Mess-abaght — active to no purpose

]\Iidge — an insect ; a little person.

Middlin'^tolerably well.

Monny — many.

Mooin — moon.

Mough — a mow of hay.

.Mullock-

Mun — must.

Munch — to chew.

Mysen— myself.

Na ahn ta — thou will not.

Nab — to steal.

Nah — now.

Nap-hand — a clever workman.

N asty — queer- tempered.

Nawn — known.

Near — ^mean.

Neet — night.

Nettled —irritated.

Newk — a corner.

Ninny — a simpleton.

Nobbut — only.

Nominy — a long, prating statement.

Nowt — nothing.

Nudge — to jog with the elbow.

Odds an' en's —odd, trifling things.

Offans — often.

Ofifen — often.

Oined — pulled down ; *' put on."

Oist — over it.

On tick— on credit.

Oppen thi gob — open your mouth.

Ossiting — coughing.

Owd— old.

Pash abaht— to go about hurriedly.
Peffing — applied to a short cough.
Peggies — an infant's first teeth.
Peggy— to stir clothes in washing.
Pey — a pea.
Peyls aljaht — to go about in a

rough manner.
Pickle — ^to put away.
Piggin- — a lading can.
Poky — being forward.
Pooak — poke.

Popped — annoyed ; pawned.
Prig— ^a pan or posnet.
Pumping — obtaining information

by close questioning.

Quirk — to shirk duty.

(2uizzing — to obtain information by

questioning.
Ouicksticks — in a hurry.

Raffle-coppin — a vagabond.

Rarely — excellently.

Reckon — to suppose.

Reek — smoke.

Reet— Right.

Reezy — rancid.

Reyt — right.

Rift — to belch wind.

Rig — ridge of a house.

Rive — to tear.

Rodney — to idle time away.

Roughshod — without consideration

for another.
Rattle — a noise in the throat.

Sark — to suck.

Saar — sour.

Sackless — innocent.

Scale — to poke a fire.

Scawp — head.

Scrawm — to climb.

Scrunty — little.

Seeks — sacks.

Secktacle — a hoist.

Seed — seen.

Sell'd— sold.

Seln — myself.

Shaat — to shout.

Shackle — the wrist.

Shilly-shally — empty ; purposeless.

Shoin — shoes.

Sift — to get information slyly.

Sken — to look aslant ; to squint.

Slap — a blow.

Slape-shod —shoes taking water.

Slash — to cut.

Slapp't — whipped.

Slavver — the spittle.

Slake — to quench the thirst.

Slaumin' — sleepy or drowsy.

Sloppy — wet, dirty.

Slur — to slide.

Slush — thawed snow.

Slutter — to fall down.

Smack — a sharp blow.

Smooring — smothering.

Snappy — short ; bad tempered.

Sneck^a door fastener.

Snig — to pilfer.

Snook — to smell.

Snod — smooth.

Glossary.

237

Snuffle — making a noise through

the nose.
Sodden — to soke with wet.
Soltch — a heavy fall.
Sops — children's food.
Split — to tell a secret.
Spooin — spoon.
Stalled — wearied.
Starken — to stiffen.
Stawp — to stand still.
Steyl— a handle ; the act of stealing.
Stint — so much and no more.
Stown — stolen.
Stooil — a seat.
Stroak — two pecks.
Stuff — to cram.
Suds — a lather.
Summat -something.
Swad — shell of pea or bean.
Swaith — a single row of mown grass.
Swarm — to climb.
Swarthy — tawny.
Swatch — a sample-piece of cloth.
Sweeat — sweat.
Sweal — to melt.
Swelling — overcome with heat.
Swig — a hearty drink.
Swill— to wash lightly.
Swop — to exchange.
Syle — to put through a sieve.

Taan — taken.

Tak — take.

Tawk — conversation.

Tenger-

Tengs — fire tongs.
Tent — to attend ; to nurse.
Teych — to instruct.
Thoil — to give ungrudgingly,
Thowt — thought.
Thump — a heavy blow.
Tidy-betty — ashpan.
Tippling — secret drinking.
Tit — a horse or pony.
Titter — giggling laughter.
Topple — to fall over.
Tramp — a vagrant.
Trice — speedily.

Twig-

-to catch the meaning.

-a deceiving person.

Upreyt — upright.

Varry — very.

Wack — to strike sharply.

Wahr — worse.

Wakey — short of sense.

Wallop — to beat.

Wamble — to walk unsteady.

Ware — to spend.

Wart — an excrescence.

Warter — week-day.

Wax — to grow.

Wick — alive.

Wisk — a bundle of rushes.

Wizzened — shrunk.

Wokken- -to wake up.

Yahm — home.

Yus, ahnt ta — yes, thou will

INDEX

PAGE

Abbot, John, the blacksmith 182

Ackroyd, Cowling, Notice of 183, 184

Ackroyd, Francis, worsted piece
maker ; his numerous family ...138, 139

Akeroyd, James, FrmiroseHill 177

All Saints' Church, Horton Green,
description of; architect, con-
tractor, and cost 135, 136

Anderson, Rev. Dr., of Troy, U.S.A.,
successor of Dr. J. R. Campbell,

Horton Lane Chapel 71

Annesley Chapel 79

Area of Township, in acres 14

Ashley, John, spinner, and presenta-
tion to 35

Ashfield, or the " Happy Valley "... 209

Ashton Dole 226

Atkinson, Jonas, clerk 178

Atkinson, Rebecca, married to Richd.
Gorton 178

Bacon, William, and his widow 56

Balme, John, one of the original
trustees of Horton Lane Chapel ... 56

Balme, Misses, bequests to Airedale
and Horton Colleges 56

Balme, Abraham, assistant over-
seer 17, 141, 142

Balme, Joshua Rhodes, his labours at
Lidget Green 192

Bamburgh Castle, its historic import-
ance, one of the residences of
Dr. lohn Sharp 127 — 129

Baptist College, founded in 1805 ;
institution removed to Rawdon in
1859 80

Bairstow, Abraham, a celebrity, and
founder of Paddock Dyehouse ... 164

Barracloughs of Horton 180 — 203

Barraclough, Tommy, 181

Barraclough, Mary, married to Rev.
James Charnock 181

Barrans, Jos., farmer, horse dealer,
and piece maker 142

Beacon Hill, height of, 3

Beanland, Joseph, corn miller and
colliery proprietor 174

Beldon Hill 5

Beldon Hill derived its name from
Benny Beldon, formerly called
Upper and Lower Haycliffe ; old

PAGE

denizens on Beldon and Pickles
Hills ; public Gardens on Beldon

Hill 160

Beldon Hill, road dispute and trials 19, 20

Bell Chapel 16, 214—218

Bentley, Nathan 201

Birks Farm, owners and occupiers of 198

Blagborough family 182, 228

Black Horse Inn, Pal Hammond, the
hostess; her "native Doric" and

fine old oak bedstead 152, 3

Blamires family, once numerous and
still well represented ; descendants
and their occupations ; Timothy,
son of William, accounted the

strongest man in Horton 167 — 169

Blamires, John, first steward on

Bridges' Estate 141

Boddington, Rev. J. C 215

Booth, Charles, Barrister, takes the
name of Swaine, and acquires the
property of Swaines and Booths ;
married Hannah Gilpin Sharp,
and also added name of Sharp 107, 108
Booths, early residents on Horton
Green ; " Skinny Booth," his pen-
urious disposition 137

Booth, Thomas, piece maker, Horton

Green 139

Boundaries of township i, 2

Bower Family ; Jeremy and Thomas,
mercers, during the reign of Queen

Elizabeth 49> 5°

Bowling Lane, Manchester Road, in

the early part of the century 73, 74

Bradford incorporated in 1849 ; and

Horton divided into two wards 22

Bradford Union, including Horton,

formed in 1837 18

Bradford Union Workhouse 18

Bradford Horn 187, 188

Bradford Waterworks originally sup-

]j!ied from Haycliffe Hill to near

Judy Barrett's shop in Westgate 158

Proprietors and Number of Shares:

opposition by some of the

inhabitants 159

Bracken Hall and Holly Bank 172

Bridges, Rev. W. , Rector of Castle-
ford 117

Bridges, Francis Sharp, inheritor of
the Leeds and Horton family

estates 118

Bridges, Thomas, a noted antiquary
and intimate friend of Thoresby... 118

240

Index.

PAGE

Brick Castle in Hunt Yard i86

Broad-dole 112

Broadbent, J. J., purchases Harris

Court Mill, notice of 182, 183

Brooksbank, an old family ; Gilliert,
a favourite Christian name ; men-
tioned in the Subsidy B.0II of 1608;
and another Gilbert paid the
Hearth Tax in 1666 ; and a third
Gilbert paid a large land tax in
1704 ; residences of the family and

their property 177 — 180

Brooksbank, ^Iary, the elder 181

Brooksbank, Joseph, gent 181

Brooksbanks, the last of 181

Brooksbank Property, to whom

descended t 80

Brooksbank House 182

Brownroyd, Wibsey-like names 154

Brimton, John, leather breeches

maker 66

Buckley protest 38, 39

Buckle, John 185

Burglary at Horton Old Hall 138

Butterworth & Brookes' disastrous
failure 31

" Calico Coach," run to Manchester 30
Calico Manufacturers attending Man-
chester market 30

Calimancoes, how made and singed 25
Campbell, Rev. Dr., and his ministry 71
Carriers of Cotton Goods to Man-
chester 29

Carter, Tom, Workhouse Master 17

Centenary Chapel 79

Charnock Family 181

Charnocks, allied to, acquired property

of the Brooksbanks 180

Charnock, Rev. James, married to

Mary Barraclough 181

Chapel Green, site of the first Presby-
terian meeting house 155

Chapel House, the home of the

Thorntons 155

Chapel Lane Chapel, in 1719 52, 53

Chapel Lane, old residents 49, 50

Chartist Movement 27, 28

Chimney Accident at Cannan's Mill 35

Church School, erected in 1808 213

Church Sunday School, erection of, 216
Churchwardens, names of earliest,... 16
Clayton, James, mathematician, me-
teorologist, and writer 143

Clayton, John, introduced mule spin-
ning by hand ; his sons wool-
staplers 143

Clayton I^ane, once contained a
Jerusalem Church, and many fol-
lowers of John Wroe 79

Clothiers and Stuff Makers 24

PAGE

Clough, William 184

Clough, John 184

Close Top Farm, owners, tenants,

and alterations in 157

Coal staiths and waggon roads of the

Low Moor Company 150, 151

Coach Road between Bradford and

Halifax

Coal got in Horton in 1350 159

Cockerham, Edward 185, 186

Cockpit Hill, Beldon and Pickles

Hills, resorts for cockfighting 162

Congregational Schools 222

Constables appointed by the Court

Leet 16

Cordingleys, fellmongers, gave ihe
name of Skin House to Jacob

Hudson's farm 78

Cork-leg business, first makers 66

Cousens, see Horton Villa 148

Cousen, William, manufacturer,
purchased the manor in 1858 ;
acquired the Blamires property by
marriage ; his son James, lord of
the manor ; the family remarkable

for stature 148, 173 — 189

Cousen, John and Charles, eminent
line engravers ; titles of some of

their chief works 146—148

Cowling Mill 182

Cricket and Athletic Club, Park
Aventie 148, 149

Dean, Rev. John, Unitarian minister,
and treasurer of the Bradford

Library 53

Democratic Institute 223

Denton, Richard 184

Denton, John 178

Dixon, Jeremy, bequest to Uni-
tarian Chapel 5;5

Division of Township 15

"Doles," " gates," and " butts " 156

Domesday Book description of Horton 6

Domestic habits of cottagers 25

Dracup, Saml. , and his improvements
in the jacquard and card-cutting

machines 37

Dracup, Nathaniel, first Methodist

in Horton 211, 212

Drop Farm, the site of Horton Bank
Reservoir 163

Early Methodists in Horton 213, 214

Early Schoolmasters at Horton 218

Ebenezer Chapel and its founders ;

minister ; chajiel re-built in 1&61 ;

removed to Mannville in 1879 57

Index.

241

PAGE

"Fair Becca," Popular legend of:
account of her untimely fate ;
remorse and confession of her

murderer 17", 171

Fawcett, Dr., born at I^idget Green ;

his Commentary on the Bible igi

Fawcett, Stephen, the poet of

Legrams 204

Fawcett, Richard, early engaged in
the wool trade ; owner of the
Holme Mill, and built another in
Union Street ; epithet of " King
Richard"; his sons, Canon Faw-
cett and Richard, a woolstapler...62, 63

Fawcett, Canon, where born 187

Field Head Estate 207

Field Head Dycw orks 207

Field Head Mills 208

Field House 208

Fine Arts Exhibition at Congrega-
tional Schools opened by Lord F.

Cavendish, Aug. 17, 1870 222

Fitzgerald, Colonel Thos. Geo., his

descendants 89

Four Ashes tree blown down 210

Four Ashes Inn 177

Fox Family, property owners 163

Fox, E. K 185

Freeholders' List, from the subsidy
roll of 1608 10,11

Gallic, Rev. Jameb, M.A. 217

Gas, where first used in Gt.Horton 15, 16
Glossaryof Words and Phrases 233 — 238

Glyde, Rev. fonathan 71

"Good Old Times" : Fare and

Clothing " 26

Goodmansend, first interment in

Quaker burial ground 152

Gorton, Richard iBo

(jospel Pilgrims' Chapel 150

Great Northern Railway, opened to

Horton 229

Great Horton Liberal Club 224

Conservative Club ... 224
Mechanics' Institute... 224

Great Horton House 182

Great Horton Industrial Society 226

" Greens," no longer open spaces ... 4
Greenwoods, of Rrownroyd Fold ... 154
Growth of Trade : primitive modes

of working 23 — 25

Guytrash Stories, and form of the

boggard 172

Haley Family 185

Haley, Sally 185

P.VGE

Hailstone, Samuel, attorney, his

family 58, 59

Hailstone, J'.dward, F.S.A 100, 109

Haigh, David, the reputed inventor

of cork legs 66

Hall Yard 188

Hall, James 188

Hall, John 188

Harrison, Rev. John 216

Harris Court iM ill 182

Hare and Hounds Inn, Landlords of 162
Hawmonds or Hanmionds, an old
Horton family,, landowners, and
mentioned in the poll-tax of 1379 ;

present family 154

Haycliffe Lane, the residence of a

branch of the Swaines 157, 158

Haycliffe Hill '.. 156

Hearth Money in 1666, and number

of hearths 12

Heinekin, Nicholas Thos. , Unitarian

minister 54

Hemingway, Henry, attorney 89

Heywood, Oliver, visits Horton Hall loi
Hew Clews, name of and associa-
tions ; droll stories of the natives 170
Highway Board : officers and their
salaries; re-election in 1849; super-
seded 1851 20, 21

Highway Surveyors' Meetings: where

held 21

Hill Top Presbyterian Chapel 45

Hill, Edward, ejected by the Act of

Uniformity 91

Hinchliffe, Joseph, a Moravian, an
excellent schoolmaster, author of

several educational works 12, 13

Hirst Tom, schoolmaster 203, 210

Hodsden, Mrs 89, 138

Hodgson, Thomas, of Birks 198

Hodgson, Thomas, of Scholemoor... i8i

Hodgson, Thomas, of Boiling 98

Holme Top Mill, builders, tenants,

and owner 146

Holme Top House, past owners 143

Holdswortli, George, his descendants 161
HoUingreavc Lands, alias Spittle

Roods 112

Ilollingwood Lane, said to have
obtained its name from the holly
hedges ; the name of long standing 163
Hollingworth, William, musical com-
poser 225

Horton .\mateur Thespians^ 2b

Horton, named from the manor ;

branches of the family 6

Horton nomenclature 10

Horton Magna, or Great Horton,
sparsely tenanted in the beginning

of the present century 167

Horton, primilixe character of the

neighbourhood 96

Hortonians, thrifty and "saving;"
ardent politicians 23

•242

Index

PAGE

Horton Old Hall, built for the

younger branch of the Sharps 97

Horton Hall ; the home of the elder
branch; description of the building;
early resort of Nonconformists for
worship ; here Rev. Thomas Sharp
officiated some time, afterwards at

Morley, and Leeds 99 — 109

Horton Hall, occupants of 107 — 109

Horton Hall, purchased by V. S.

I'owell, in 1871 109

Horton Listers, long residence in the
neighbourhood ; their descent and

pedigree 83 — 90

Horton Grange 201

Horton Villa 146

Horton House Academy 82, 83

Horton Lane Chapel and its founders ;
Trust Deed and conditions of
Membership ; successive Enlarge-
ments ; Ministers and Churches

sprung from 69 — 71

Horton Public Park : extent, des-
cription, and cost 149, 150

Horton Bank, New and Old Roads

described J 164

Horton Green and its Associations 136, 137
Horton Green — Old Residents of ... 141

Horton Old Band 224

Horton Old Choral Society 225

Hortons of Howroyde 6, 7,

House Building extraordinary 151

Howley Hall — Materials used for the

erection of Chapel T^ane Chapel ... 53
Hudson, Jacob, and his Wife ; their
industry and frugal habits ; ac-

(juisitions and singular will 75-/8

Hulnie, Nathaniel and [oseph, born
at Holme Top, two distinguished
sons of Mr. S. Hulme, of Kipping,

Thornton 146

Hunt Yard, Legend of, property pur-
chased by Fo.x 186, 187

Hunt Yard W'esleyan Cl)apel ; first
Trustees; Opening of 212

Illingworth, Robert, attorney 163

Tllingworth, Dr 185

Iron Church, Congregational 222

Jackson, John, the "old ('liartist" 203,204

Jennings, John 14, 17, 189

Jennings, |onas 18

Jennings, Jolin, the miller 199

Jer Lane Old .School, conducted

many years by John Benn 161

Super.seded by Board School 162

John of Gaunt (87

PAGE

John Northrop 187

Jowetts, formerly considerable owners

of land and tenements in Horton 162

"Jumpers "of Horton 222

Kaye, Benjamin, Cotton Manu-
facturer ; a large dealer ; removed
to Allerton Hall 140, 141

King's Arms Inn, sold to Mrs. Trout,
came to the Rudd family ; sold to
the Bradford Corporation 180

Knight, John, " one of the kings of
Horton " : with his brother erected
a cotton mill, but failed in 1826 ;
mill re-built by Harris & Co. , and
adapted to worsted 30

Knight's Bankruptcy 180

Knie-ht's Mill ' 182

Lacy, Henry de. Earl of Lincoln ... 2
Lacy, Robert de, grants the Manor

to Hugh de Stapleton 6

Lacy and Horton families, and their

tenantry 7—9

Lacies and their servitors in 1342 8, 9

Land and Property Owners in 1704,

1802, and 1839 12 — 14

Land Owners, four principal 4

Land tenure and service under the

Lacies 8, 9

Lapse of the cotton trade, and growth

of the worsted 31

Laycock, Lazarus 218

Legrams Lane, an old pack horse road 2, 3

Leventhorpe William 95

Lidget Green, early seat of Noncon-
formity 190

lister, Robert, a privileged dyer in
1382 ; succeeded by Richard, who
was constable of Halifax, and paid
the highest rent to the lords of the
manor ; the Ovendenand Northow-
ram Estates continuing in the familv

till 1756 84, 85

Lister, Thomas, lands and tenure ;
descendants ; Shibden Hall branch
of the family; marriage alliances, &c. 85
Lister, John, inherited the Horton

and Ovenden Estates 86

Lister, John, Will of (Appendix)
Lister, Samuel, J. P., of Horton, his

bequests 86, 87, 88

Lister, Samuel, of Manningham, an

attorney 88, 89

Lister, John, M.A 86

Listers, zealous Parliamentarians ;
their sufferings during the Civil
War 91, 92

Index.

243

PACK

Lister, Joseph, account of the siege

of Bradford 9 1 , 92

Lister, Thomas, of Mauiiiiigiiaiii, a

major under General Fairfax 117

Lister, Abraham, of liolUng, an

attorney 113

Lister Pedigree 88

Lister's Arms, a favourite call house

in the coaching days 79

Lister Hills, origin of 205

leister Hills Chapel 209

Low ("lose Farm 189

Low Green 188

Low Green Working Men's Radical

Association 223

Lower Hall Brooks i8r

Lumby Family, of Scholemoor ...16, 197
Lumby, Sammy t6, 197

Mansion House, Southfield Lane i8i —185

Manor Court records 7, 8

Manor Court steward and judge ... 17
Manor, recent and pre.sent owners ;
descent from the Lacies to the
Horton Family ; sale in 1858 to
Wm. Cousen, and old mill to S.
Dracup ; mill long tenanted by

Joseph Beanland 7, 173, 174

Manor House 188

Manor of Leventhorpe 96

Mann Brothers, stuff merchants ;
Thomas also carried on the cork-
leg business 66, 67

Marshall's Mill, built in i8r8, burnt

down in 1822 33

Maynard's valuation of the tythes in

1638 II

Maude, Dr. William 202

Meeting-houses registered after the

passing of the Toleration Act 51

Midgley Family 196 — 197

Mills erected between 1817 and 1850 ;

their owners and tenants 32—37

Milk stick and its use 26

Ministers at Chapel Lane Chapel

from its erection 50—55

Mires— Myers 162, 168, 170

Myers, Thomas, assistant-overseer...

[18, 20, 35, 162

Miry Pond, site> 161

Mitchell Bros. , large worsted spinners 33

Mitchell, r'rancis and John, 33

Moravian Chapel, Paternoster Fold ;

do., Little Horton Lane 218

Mortimers of Scholemoor 195, 196

Mossman Family 43, 44

Mount Carmel Chapel 150

Mount Pleasant School, trustees

01 192, 193

Moulsons ; family long engaged in the
stone and building trade 139, 140

PAGE

Names derived from trades 84

Nathaniel Dracup, first Methodist in

Horton 211

National School, Lidget Green 193

Nettleton Fold : old residents 161

Gates, William Henry 207

Octagon Chapel, first Wesleyan place
of worship in Bradford ; land
purchase and original trustees ;
purchased in 1810 by Richard
Fawcett 63, 64. 65

Old Bell Chapel, erection of; first
incumbents 214 — 216

Old Homestead at Bank Bottom,
built about 1600 165

"Old House at Home"; ascribed
to Isaac Sharp ; passed into the
Lister family ; different occupiers 144

Old Road hostelries 164, 165

Old Skinhouse, a seventeenth century
homestead, owned by Jacob
Hudson, purchased by Thomas
Dewhirst 78

OldTodley, site of; Wesleyan School
at Old Todley 182— 211

Old inhabitants of Horton ,..227, 228, 229

Parker 20, 32, 75, 162

Parkinson, Stephen, built houses at

Summerseat Place 180

Parkinson, John, bookseller, builder
of Mount Carmel Chapel ; after-
wards became a Primitive Methodist

local preacher 150

Pickles Hill : derivation of name ... 166

Pilling, Joseph, the miller 199

Plug Riots, said to have been due to
Chartism ; great excitement in

Horton 28, 29

Poor Relief in the early part of

present century 17

Poll Tax of 1379 9< 10

Population of Horton 229

Powell, Rev. Benjamin, father of Mr.

F. S. Powell 117

Powell, Francis Sharp, educated at
Wigan and Sedburgh Grammar
Schools, and graduated at Cam-
bridge ; called to the Bar ; sat four
times in Parliament ; presented
with portrait of himself in 1884;
erected All Saints' Church, Par-
sonage, and Schools; his Yorkshire
residence, Horton Old Hall ;
description of the hall ; relics,
family portraits, articles of vertii,

•244

Index

PAGE

armour, carved oak, and other
antiques ; elected member of
Parliament for Wigan (see
Appendix) ; pedigree of...ii8, 119 — 121

Preston Place School, how named ;
Preston Place 208

Presbyterian Chapel, erected at Little
Horton soon after the Revolution
of 1688 50, 51

Presbyterians of Chapel Lane became
Unitarians during the Rev. John
Dean's ministry 53

Presbyterian Ministers 5i~53

Primitive Methodism in Horton ;
erection of chapel 219, 220

Primitive Manufacturing, wool carded
and spun at home ; modes of life
and furnishing and fare ; cotton
industry and long hours of labour 24, 25

Price, Morton (diaries Horton
Rhyss), sold manorial property in
1858 7

Quaker Lane, so called from its lead-
ing to the early burying place of
the Friends ; list of interments ...

Radical Reform Chib 204

Ramsbothams, origin and descen-
dants of, their connection with the

Rands and Swaines 43, 44

Ramsbotham, H. R., founded the
firm of H. R. Ramsbotham and

Co 44, 203

Ramsbotham, John, surgeon, adopted

Hahnemann's views, his family ... 44
Ramsbotham, Henry, Swaine, and
N. Murgatroyd, in 1798 erected
the first worsted mill in the Holme 38
Ramsdens honourably connected
with the Bradford Trade ; sprung

from Upper Green 172, 173

Rand Family, early pioneers of

worsted trade 40, 41

Randall Well Close bequest 66

Redhead, Rev. Samuel 215

Red Lion Inn, owners and occupiers 142

Reevy Beacon Hill 161

Rent, ancient forms of, and service ;
" Red Rose," " Boynes," and

" Hens" ; "Gafol," a tribute 114

Richardson, 'William 148

Riley, Joseph and Ldnmnd, school-
masters ; the latter an author of

poems and tales 141

Robin Hood and Little John (old

hostelry in Hunt yard) 186

Rushworth, heir of 187

PAGE

Sams Mill, ancient corn mill 199

Sawrey, Faith, the last lineal descend-
ant of the elder branch of the
Sharps 107

Scarr Lane 186

Scholemoor, origin of name 193

Scholemoor listate, ancient owners
of; bought by Bradford Corporation 197

Scholemoor Cemetery 198

Seebohm, Benjamin 202

Sharps of Horton, their long con-
nection with the township ; posses-
sions, how acquired 94, 95

Sharp, James, liis identity ; exact
relationship not certain ; descent
claimed from a Christopher Sharp 96

Sharp Family, branches of the same ;
divided into two ; residence of the
elder, Horton Hall ; the younger,
Horton Old Hall ; espoused oppo-
site sides in religion and politics 96, 97

Sharp, Thomas, his inheritance ; his
two sons ; the younger of the
main branches of the family 98

Sharp, John, the noted Parlia-
mentarian under Fairfax, and
present at Marston Moor ; two of
his sons, the Rev. Thomas Sharp,
vicar of Adel, and Abraham, the
mathematician 98, 99

.Sharp, Rev. Thomas, Vicar of Adel,
dejirived by the Act of Uniformity,
afterwards an ardent Noncon-
formist minister at Morley and
Leeds 98 — loi

Sharp, Dr. John, studied at Leyden ;
his outfit and journey to Holland. . . 102

Sharp, .Abraham, educated at Brad-
ford Grammar School ; his devotion
to scientific pursuits ; friendship
with Flamsted, and employment at
Greenwich Observatory ; curious
medley of entries in memorandum
book; his studious life at Horton 105 — 7

Sliarp, Thomas, yeoman and clothier
in 1607 ; added greatly to his
paternal estate iii

Sliarp, John, an ardent Royalist,
received a blow from a battle axe
during Civil 'V/ars ; his sons
partisans on the king's side ...115 — T17

Sharp, John, D. D. , Archbishop of
York; born in Ivegate ; educated at
Bradford Grammar School and
graduated at Cambridge ; obtained
the Archdeaconry of Berkshire,
and three other preferments the
same year ; Dean of Canterbury,
and created Archbishop of York in
his forty-seventh year ; his diary
and life ; a prolific writer, and
collector of coins 122, 123, 124, 125,

126, 127

Index.

245

PAGE

Sharp, Thomas, younger son of the
Archbisliop, Archdeacon of Xorth-
lunberland ; Sharp, John, Pre-
bendary of Durham, Archdeacon of
Northumberland, Vicar of Hart-
burn, and curate of Bamburgh 127

Sharp, Granville, the most distin-
guished son of the Archdeacon : his
life and philanthropic labours ; the
earliest abolitionist of slavery ; his
trials for setting slaves free ; secured
Sierra Leone as a settlement for the
liberated slaves ; earnest labourer
in behalf of religious and literary
institutions, and a voluminous
writer 129, 130

Sharp, James, of Horton ; his de-
scendants 131

Sharp, John, of Tong, father of Wm.,
of Bradford family, and dis-
tinguished relatives — the Heys ... 131

Sharp, \Vm. , an eminent surgeon at
St. Bartholomew's Hospital 129

Sharp, Wm. , M..A., Mareham Rec-
tory, Boston 132

.Sharp, \\'m. , an eminent Bradford
surgeon, house surgeon of St.
Bartholomew's Hospital, settled in
Bradford, in 1792 ; monument
formerly in the Parish Church, now
in the corridor of the Infirmary ... 132

Sharp John, M..\. , \^icar of Horbury 132

Sharjj, Richard, of Gildersome, the
father of three distinguished
sons 132,133

Sharp, Wm., M.D., F.R.S., F.G.S.,
succeeded his uncle in 1833 ; his
lectures on Natural Philosophy ;
one of the founders and president of
the Bradford Philosophical -Society;
surgeon to the Infirmary ; removed
to Rugby ; his careful investiga-
tion of Hahnemann's theory ;
marriages and family 133, 134

Sharp, Madam 107, 108

Sharps' marriage alliance with Staple-
ton, Bridges, and Powell 117

Sherebrig Beck Close 181

Shibden Hall ; a fine example of
timber-built residences 86

Smith. Sanuiel, of Bradford, Mayor,
notice of 207, 208

.Smith, Lawrence 203

" Smith, Uick," at one time the
largest worsted spinner in Brad-
ford 142, 143

Smithy Hill, or Old.Todley 182

Soke Corn Mill, in Horton, in 1311 ;
tenants and rent 173

Southfield Lane ; Saughfield or
Southgate ; name illustrates the
custom of the open-field tenure ;
the system explained .' 156, 157

Southern Half-acres 112

PAGE

Springfield 198

Stamj), Rev. W. W 213

Stewards of the Bridges Estates 138

Stony lands 180

St. Andrew's Church 209

.St. lohn's Church, Manchester Road.
The new Church of St. John the
Evangelist, in Horton Lane, built

in its stead 72

.St. James's Church, erected by John
Wood, junr. ; first incumbent the
Rev. G. S. Bull, an earnest ad-
vocate of the Ten Hours Bill; his

successors ' 73

St. John the Evangelist, Great

Horton, erection of 217

Sterne Richard, Archbishop ol York 92
Sterne, Laurence, author of "Tristram
Shandy, "educated at Hipperholme

Grammar School 92

Sterne, Simon ; numerous family ;

their descendants 92 , 93

Stephensons of Horton Green 138

Steadman, W. , D,D. , personal ap-
pearance and labours 80, 81

Streams and their Courses 1,2

Storrs, Rev. W. T 217

Swaines, a very ancient family ;
numerous branches ; marriage

alliances ; pedigree 44, 45 — 8

Swaine, Joseph 180

Swaine, Samuel 201

Swaine, Dr. \\'. E. , physician extra-
ordinary to the Duchess of Kent... 47

Swaines of Gomersal 46, 47

Swaine, James, said to have ploughed

when ninety-five years of age 165

.Swaines, noted for longevity 47.48

Swaine & Ramsbotham's Mill in the
Holme, the first of the kind in
Bradford ; great fire, and exer-
tions of the Bradford \'olunteers... 42

Suddards, Eli 86, 189

Summerseat Place 180

Tan House 203

Taylor. Rev. Thos. , Minister of

Horton Lane Cha])el 70, 71

Tempest Field i8i

Tenants of Horton Old Hall ... 118, 119
Tetley Charles (" Pump Tctley"J... 35, 36
Thomas, Abraham ("Dr. Tom"),

notice of 185

Thorntons of Scholemoor 194

Thorntons of Little Horton 155

Thornton Lane, the Thome, part

of Lady Hew ley's Charity 155

Thief Score Lane 200

Toby Lane 186

Tod (or Toad) Well Farm : an old

homestead 151

246

Index.

PAGE

Topham 162, 224, 225, 227, 228

'riirner, John and Robert 202

Turner, George 202

Tythes in 1638, and list of contribu-
tors II

Wade, John, a good type of the
Horton character ; Churchwarden,
Poor Law Guardian, and Town

Councillor 20, 21, 169, 170, 226

\\'alker, James, physician, inheritor

of Bank Bottom Farm ; tenants 165, i66
" Waste Lands," " Enclosures," and

" Common fields," 113

Watmoagh 224, 225, 226

Webb, Rev. G. M 217

Weddall, Mr., Account of 123, 124

Well Close House, built on the site

of the Old Workhouse 17

Wesleyanism in Horton 212

Wesleyan School, first erected ;

trustees of 182

Wesleyan Sunday School 213

PAGK

Wesley Place Chapel, erection of ;

becomes Congregational 221

West End Building Society 206

West Lodge 210

Westbrook House 62

Westbrook Place 209

Whitaker, Wm. , principal partner in

the Old Brewery 39

Wickham, Rev. Lamplugh 60

Wood Family ; possessions derived
from the Lacies of Cromwell-
botham ; transfers of land to the

Sharps 112, 113

Wood, John, senr., Southbrook
Lodge, manufacturer of horn, ivory,

and tortoise-shell combs, &c C2

Wood, John ("Spectacle Wood"),

first postmaster of Horton 184

Workhouse, Old, pulled down about
1822 17

Yates, Jude 223

WM. BVLES AND SONS, PRINTERS, PICCADILLY, BRADFORD.

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY
Los Angeles

This book is DUE on the last date stamped below.

RtCO LO-ORt

DEC 2 9 i^-

Form L9-42»»-8, "49(85573)444

THE LIBRARY

UNIVERSITY OF CAUfMlOA

LOfi ANGBLBSB

DA Cudworth -
690 I^ambles roundT
H8C8 Norton.

UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY

AA 000 398 059 6

• • t^'i^ti'/^>:.,J'iS#i?^*^«pM

Internet Archive Audio

Featured

Top

Images

Featured

Top

Software

Featured

Top

Texts

Featured

Top

Video

Featured

Top

Mobile Apps

Browser Extensions

Archive-It Subscription

Save Page Now

Full text of "Rambles round Horton: historical, topographical, and descriptive"

See other formats